Roses de Jeanne
Finally made it to a Roses de Jeanne tasting - somewhat chaotic, not quite cathartic, but absolutely worth it.
I used to think I was cursed when it came to RDJ. Every time those mysterious bottles were opened in the garage - the ones where the winemaker keeps the production details under tight wraps - I'd be anywhere but there. Either I missed the announcement, or Ivan "tactfully" forgot to mention it. But this time, something shifted.
I saw the announcement right away. The date technically worked, if you count "being in Kyiv" as a free slot. But my evening was already booked: a small office tasting, followed by a meet-up. So I let it go - "Not this time," I thought. However, the day before, the meeting was cancelled. And on the morning of the tasting (well, closer to noon), Vanya calls: there are still spots. Roses de Jeanne. And I thought - maybe this really is fate. Only hitch? I was finishing the office tasting at the exact time the Roses de Jeanne tasting started. But I figured, what the hell - worth the gamble.
I'm usually wary of large tastings: complex wines, too many people, too much noise, not enough time. But I had to finally try these bloody RDJs and form my own opinion. Besides, I have a few bottles of Bouchard at home, and it's always a nice idea to taste these wines without opening my own bottles - let them rest and evolve.
And finally - tasted. I genuinely liked the wines (the scores speak for themselves), but I wouldn't say it was a revelation or catharsis. Partly because I process wine slowly - I need time. And partly because after the sixth bottle, my palate tends to blur (don't forget, this was my second tasting that evening). For big formats like this, I'd rather drink something easier, still tasty, but also less pretentious. Still - an important experience.
Cédric Bouchard's wines aren't about bubbles. They're about wine, full stop. They're miniature studies unfolding in silence. Precision without performance. And delicacy that doesn't try to please - it just is, with a core that feels incredibly pure and honest.
A few takeaways for me. Les Ursules is my cuvée, no doubt. I liked 2019 more than 2020 - I'm not fully convinced by the latter's potential. 2016, mathematically older, felt like it still had plenty of life ahead. That's the power of a good vintage. As for Presle, just as last time - it didn't really click with me.
So. Big thanks to Ivan for the opportunity, to Sabotage for bringing the wines in, and to everyone who came for the great company. It was lovely seeing familiar faces and also meeting new ones. Until next time!
Roses De Jeanne Val Vilaine VV/R22 2022
- Region
- France » Champagne » Champagne AOC » Côte des Bar
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Vintage
- 2022
- Disgorged
- 2024
- On lees
- 16 months
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Find at
This wine secured the 🏅 10th place in our wine tasting lineup.
- 1.5 hectare vineyard in the lieu-dit "Val Vilaine" consisting of 100% Pinot Noir. 40 year-old vines
- Bands of Kimmeridgian soil common to Chablis. The Côte des Bars is closer to Chablis than to Reims.
- Vineyards are farmed using organic methods and simple Guyot pruning is employed. Vines are planted at a density of 8000 vines per hectare.
- 1st press juice only, hand harvested and crushed by foot and fermented using indigenous yeast. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Super delicate on the nose - floral and strawberry-driven, with lovely flecks of sea breeze and fragrant wood smoke. The intensity is there, but it still feels ethereal on the palate. A touch of fermentation character, some yellow fruit, a bit of fuzziness around the edges. Honestly, it's intriguing, but still feels a little hollow for now.
Roses De Jeanne Val Vilaine VV/R21 2021
- Region
- France » Champagne » Champagne AOC » Côte des Bar
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Vintage
- 2021
- Disgorged
- 2023
- On lees
- N/A
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Sugar
- 1
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Find at
This wine secured the 🏅 7th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Also on the delicate side, but with more of that yeasty character - like a cheese sandwich in a good way. There's florality, a cidery tang, a bit of smoke too. But what makes it shine is how drinkable it is - great structure, lovely intensity, flavours that stretch and shift. Fresh, crisp, and with a long, elegant finish. This one really hits the mark.
Roses De Jeanne RDJ #3 NV
- Region
- France » Champagne » Champagne AOC » Côte des Bar
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Wine
- Vintage
- NV
- Disgorged
- N/A
- On lees
- N/A
- Grapes
- Field Blend
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Sugar
- 1
- Volume
- 750 mL
This wine secured the 🏅 8th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Oh, what a lovely apple. The nose is subtle, almost shy - juniper, a touch of sake, scattered blossoms. It's gentle rather than expressive, but there's something compelling in its restraint. And then the palate shifts the mood entirely - the bubbles fade fast, revealing a softly oxidative character that's actually quite elegant. Bruised apples, honey - it's a quiet kind of beauty, and the contrast with the aromatics makes it all the more intriguing.
Roses De Jeanne RDJ #2 NV
- Region
- France » Champagne » Champagne AOC » Côte des Bar
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Wine
- Vintage
- NV
- Disgorged
- N/A
- On lees
- N/A
- Grapes
- Field Blend
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Sugar
- 5.7
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Find at
This wine secured the 🏅 4th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Tarragon and citrus - I'm an easy target when wines go this way. That bright, herbal kick of estragon layered with lemon and brioche is a joy. But beyond that, there's not a whole lot of immediate depth or complexity in the nose. Still, it's well-crafted: rounded, balanced, with persistent bubbles and a long finish. At first, I thought it might be a bit too delicate for me - but the palate keeps evolving. There's a quiet intricacy in how it moves: fine, layered, slowly revealing yellow apple, a whisper of sake, and a faint green herbaceousness on the finish. Less oxidative than RDJ #3, more restrained - and all the more intriguing for it.
Roses De Jeanne Les Ursules UR/R20 2020
- Region
- France » Champagne » Champagne AOC » Côte des Bar
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Vintage
- 2020
- Disgorged
- 2024
- On lees
- 28 months
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Find at
This wine secured the 🏅 6th place in our wine tasting lineup.
- From a 0.9 hectare parcel of Pinot Noir with vines averaging 35 years of age.
- Bands of Kimmeridgian soil common to Chablis. The Côtes des Bars is closer to Chablis than to Reims.
- 1st press juice only, hand harvested and crushed by foot and fermented using indigenous yeast. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Interesting slight pinkish hue. The nose leans heavily into apple - crisp, a bit creamy, and yet not overly expressive despite a certain lushness. It's young, clearly, and not easy to pull apart aromatically. But it tells a coherent story. The palate is where it comes alive - sharp acidity, almost piercing, with impressive precision. Flavours of cherry blossom, oxidised apple, and a touch of honey. In the mouth, it's just delicious. Dense, concentrated, and so much more compelling than the nose initially promised. Need to revisit in a year or two.
Roses De Jeanne Les Ursules UR/R19 2019
- Region
- France » Champagne » Champagne AOC » Côte des Bar
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Vintage
- 2019
- Disgorged
- 2023
- On lees
- ~36 months
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Sugar
- 1
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Find at
This wine secured the 🥈 2nd place in our wine tasting lineup.
Herbs take the lead here - more bitter than sweet or medicinal - with bruised apples, cider, and a warm echo of chausson aux pommes. Chamomile tea and a hint of echinacea drift in after a moment, adding a quiet, earthy undertone. The structure is impressive - taut yet delicate, with depth and length that unfold slowly. There's a beautiful oxidative touch on the palate that never overwhelms, just frames everything in a slightly autumnal haze. Complex and drinkable in equal measure - a wine to sit with, glass after glass.
Roses De Jeanne Les Ursules 2016
- Region
- France » Champagne » Champagne AOC » Côte des Bar
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Wine
- Vintage
- 2016
- Disgorged
- 2020-04
- On lees
- ~36 months
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Sugar
- 1
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Find at
This wine secured the 🥇 1st place in our wine tasting lineup.
Strangely - and hilariously - this reads more like Chardonnay. Think cheese-flavoured crisps, iodine from walnut skins, and that woody-bitter edge you get from nut shells. There's oxidised apple too, and a flash of tarragon, which catches you off guard. But it's so, so young - practically vibrating. High acidity, laser-sharp, electric. That kind of charged energy you feel more than taste. On the palate, it's all about structure: taut, nervy, full of tension. Oxidised apple again, some dried banana. A wine with plenty to say, but it's still figuring out the language (or is it me?).
Roses De Jeanne Presle PR/R20 2020
- Region
- France » Champagne » Champagne AOC » Côte des Bar
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Wine
- Vintage
- 2020
- Disgorged
- 20204
- On lees
- 36 months
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Find at
This wine secured the 🏅 5th place in our wine tasting lineup.
- 15 rows (0.25 hectare) of 10 different Burgundian Pinot clones co-planted in 2007, all of which are massale selection.
- Clay and limestone with bands of Kimmeridgian (terre blanche) common to Chablis and Chavignol.
- 1st press juice only, hand harvested and crushed by foot and fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
More pink-hued than the 2019 - a bit like how UR/R20 out-blooms UR/R19. It's spicy, buttery, with hazelnut and a handful of wild red berries. The intensity is explosive - almost too much. It bursts with fruit, almost to the point of distraction. The nose is intriguing, but the sheer loudness gets in the way. Redcurrant fluffiness - but in a way that leans towards a "pussy drink". It's well-made, sure, and maybe it just needs more time. Or maybe it's just not my kind of thing. Still, the mineral backbone is lovely - there's more stone here than in the VV range.
Roses De Jeanne Presle PR/R19 2019
- Region
- France » Champagne » Champagne AOC » Côte des Bar
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Wine
- Vintage
- 2019
- Disgorged
- 2023
- On lees
- 36 months
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Sugar
- 1
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Find at
This wine secured the 🥉 3rd place in our wine tasting lineup.
I'm realising I prefer Bouchard's 2019 over the 2020. This one's got all the herbal complexity too, but here it leans more into a mix of bitter and sweet herbs. There's apple, red berries - it's playful, layered, complex, and far more compelling than my previous encounter with it. Still, if I'm honest, UR speaks to me more.