2007 Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules

This vineyard is located in Celles. Bouchard has 0.97 hectares under vine. Les Ursules is the only Roses de Jeanne vineyard that Bouchard does not own, but rather farms through a long-term lease arrangement. Bouchard believes that Pinot Noir from this site is particularly well-suited to aging in magnums and it is likely that in the future the entire production from Les Ursules will be bottled in large formats. Recently Bouchard has begun to make some of his Coteaux Champenoise wines from this site. Vintage 2007 was quite difficult, as there was quite a bit of rain and Bouchard's vineyards in Celles were severely affected by hail, most notably La Haute-Lemblée, La Bolorée and Le Creux d'Enfer. Production from these sites is minuscule in 2007. The 2007 Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules reveals gorgeous richness in its red fruits, spices and flowers. Today the 2007 comes across as a bit two-dimensional, but much of that has to do with its youth and the inevitable comparisons with some of the vintages that preceded it in this tasting. In time, this too should develop into splendid wine, today it is merely outstanding. Bouchard likens 2007 to 2001 – another cold, damp vintage – then adds he relishes the challenge of making wines in difficult years as it is precisely these harvests that provide the ultimate test of a grower's skill.