Roses de Jeanne Le Creux d’Enfer 2018 Cedric Bouchard

Tasting Note Roses de Jeanne Le Creux d’Enfer 2018

Aromas of wild strawberries and red cherries are evident, underpinned by a chalky, almost briny edge. With no dosage added, it is completely dry on the palate, and the fruit aromas drive the wine rather than the sugar. It leaves behind delicate, persistent bubbles and a firm, mineral-driven finish. Thanks to the dry summer of 2018, the wine is highly concentrated, offering a richer body than the initial acidity suggests.

Grape Varieties

Three grape varieties were used in Le Creux d'Enfer:

• Pinot Noir: The primary variety in the Côte des Bar, offering red fruit aromas and a firm structure
• Pinot Meunier: Floral aromas, juicy, and matures quickly
• Chardonnay: Adds a sense of tension derived from the chalky soil

Cellaring Potential

Best enjoyed through 2043. Acidity and the zero-dosage method provide a solid framework for the Le Creux d'Enfer 2018, while the 2018 vintage's ripe fruit aromas richly fill the mid-palate during aging. No decanting is necessary. Serve in a white wine glass (not a flute) at 8-10°C.

About Cedric Bouchard

In Champagne, blending is the norm. Cedric Bouchard does the opposite: every bottle comes from one grape variety, one plot and one harvest. His base in the Cotes de Bar covers just 1.3 hectares split across four small plots, all farmed organically, all aimed at showing what the site itself tastes like. Bouchard started in 2000, so there is no long family story behind the label. Grapes ferment at low temperature in stainless steel to keep the primary fruit intact, and after that very little happens. No clarification, no filtering, no stabilisation, no dosage. That puts these champagnes in the Brut Nature category, bone dry with almost no residual sugar. Pure, clean and precise, which is why they turn up at gastronomic dinners. Standout vintages include 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2020.

Terroir & Climate

Cedric Bouchard cultivates a total of 1.3 hectares across four vineyards located in Côte des Bar, the southernmost subregion of Champagne and its most recently incorporated area. The soil here is ancient, composed of limestone and Kimmeridgean clay; this limestone component offers two practical advantages. First, it drains quickly after rain, and second, it releases the heat accumulated during the day back into the night. This is precisely why Le Creux d'Enfer has a salty flavor and a stony texture.

Winemaking

The approach at Bouchard focuses primarily on subtraction. The base wine of Le Creux d'Enfer undergoes slow, cold fermentation in stainless steel tanks, which preserves the fruit's natural flavors rather than imparting the typical cellar-derived aromas. After that, nothing is removed or added. There is absolutely no fining, filtration, stabilization, or use of dosage (the sugar solution most houses use to top up bottles). It is a completely dry Brut Nature. That is precisely why the terroir of Côte des Bar comes through so clearly.

Food Pairing

Zero dosage means no sugar cushion, so the acidity does all the cutting. Roses de Jeanne Le Creux d'Enfer is best enjoyed with the following:

• Oysters, without sauce; omit the mignonette sauce
• Scallops, lightly seared on the outside in butter: In this case, the acidity is needed to balance the richness of the fat
• Roast chicken with a crispy skin
• Aged Comté, which adds a nutty flavor

This is a Champagne best enjoyed as an accompaniment at the dinner table rather than as an aperitif.