Roses de Jeanne,
Cédric Bouchard
| Vigneron | Cédric Bouchard |
| Location | Celles-sur-Ource (Aube) |
| Size of Domaine | 3 ha |
| Terroir | Continental climate. Kimmeridgian clay-limestone soil over hard limestone bedrock. Up to 20% slope. 180-250m altitude. |
| Viticulture | Practising organic, chemical free. |
| View Roses de Jeanne, Cédric Bouchard wines ↓ |
We met the driven and passionate Cédric Bouchard in 2006, at a time when his micro-production was quickly earning a sky-high reputation. Today, his champagnes rank among the most sought-after in the world – yet Cédric does not rest on his laurels, continually fine-tuning every detail to always raise the bar.
Born into a 'famille de vignerons' in Celles-sur-Ource (Côte des Bar), his passion for wine was sparked when he worked as a sommelier in Paris in the late 90s. Tasting and learning about wines from other regions had a profound effect on him – inspired by the Burgundian terroir-centric approach as well as the 'vin de garage' movement in Bordeaux (especially trendy back then), he returned home to make wine but he knew he would pursue his own distinct path.
Cédric made his first champagne in 2000 from one hectare of unpromising north-facing pinot noir vines (Les Ursules) handed down by his family – he recalls, "my father would only let me have a go at this specific parcel, simply because he was frustrated at the low yields coming out of these vines!". Embracing this limitation, Cédric devised what was then a revolutionary philosophy: single vineyard, single vintage, single variety, low yield, low pressure, and zero dosage – and that’s the way he still works today.
We’ve rarely met a grower as uncompromising towards quality and with such integrity – Cédric’s approach in the vineyards seeks to maximize quality every step of the way, adopting a respectful and sensitive approach to viticulture, and dramatically restricting yields (through severe pruning and debudding) to an average of 25-26hh – by far the lowest in Champagne where 50-60hh is the norm. A decision that has significant financial impact. In the same spirit, he would not hesitate to sell his grapes or wines to the négoce if he’s not fully convinced by the end result e.g. Haute Lemblé 2024 was sold away!
Cédric can rely on a devoted and loyal team, he’s helped by his wife Émilie, his right-hand man Guillaume (Émilie’s brother), and two full-time employees, together they literally pamper the 3ha of vines with meticulous care. A light ploughing is done with a 'chenillard' in early spring – at a precise timing, right before the dormant green cover awakens and releases its seeds – followed by the use of interceps through the season, so that no grass can ever compete with the vines. The classic 'bouillie bordelaise' (sulphur, copper) is sprayed against oidium/mildew and, although the vines have not seen any chemicals since he took over, no organic certification will ever be claimed by the free-spirited Cédric. He also employs a team of 40 pickers at harvest for his tiny holdings – to ensure that the grapes are picked right before dawn and pressed in a matter of hours (enhancing freshness and intensity of the juice).
View from La Bolorée towards Celles-sur-Ource 
All the wines are solely made from the first pressing (no juice from the 'tailles' is ever added), they are fermented with indigenous yeast and cuve aged (a key point at Roses de Jeanne, no oak use whatsoever) for around ten months with malos completed – only a pinch of SO2 is added at pressing. Nowadays, Cédric uses a 'liqueur de tirage' dosed at 15g/l looking for an incredibly low 3.75 bar of pressure (as opposed to the classic 24g/l and 6 bar of the big houses). The 'prise de mousse' is done under capsule at low temperature (12C) and lingers over three months creating an extremely delicate bead of bubbles. Bottle-ageing on lees lasts a year for Val Vilaine and three years for the other cuvées before disgorgement. Cédric doesn’t like champagnes that are fizzy, and he explains, "too often the bubbles are here to hide the defaults or lack of wine behind them." And even though his champagnes are uniquely low pressure with the gentlest of beads, he prefers them carafed in their youth – "my wines are chock-a-block with flavour, they need time to open up so that one can fully enjoy their vinosity; even decanted enough CO2 will be present and lift the aromatics."
The domaine continues to evolve and progress – over time Cédric has increased his assortment of holdings by planting micro-sized parcels (Haute Lemblé in 2002, Presle in 2007) and taking over vines previously owned by his family (La Bolorée, Côte de Béchalin, Creux d’Enfer, and Val Vilaine). Of note, Cédric originally bought the grapes from his family's holdings as a négociant and bottled them under a separate label called Inflorescence until his father’s retirement in 2012. All cuvées are now labelled under the domaine’s name Roses de Jeanne – a tribute to his maternal grandma Jeanne and a reference to the many roses growing through the original parcel Les Ursules. In 2020 Cédric had the opportunity to significantly extend his holdings in La Bolorée and Creux d’Enfer (two of his favourite terroirs in the Vallée de l’Ource) in exchange for Presle and Côte de Béchalin, he made the decision without much hesitation and 2020 is the last vintage of these two cuvées.
The lieu-dit Creux d'Enfer 
Over the years, Cédric has become even more intensely focused, divesting himself of distractions while limiting travelling and tastings at the domaine. His priorities have clarified too – spending time with his family and caring for his vines are paramount. He loves good cuisine and together with a couple of partners launched the excellent restaurant Le Garde Champêtre in Gyé-sur-Seine (where his passion for architecture and design also shine through). It is unquestionably the most exciting restaurant in the region attracting foodies and vignerons from all over France and beyond.
More than two decades ago, few would have imagined that a tiny estate in the Côte des Bar could achieve international recognition as one of Champagne’s greatest. Cédric Bouchard was the first grower to bottle a single vineyard, single vintage champagne – he has been a pathfinder, showing others the way. "If we could do this here, it opens up possibilities for other people, young people who can’t afford vineyards in expensive appellations."
N.B. The hyperactive team at Roses de Jeanne recovered an historical terroir in Molesme at the border between the Aube and the Côte d’Or, south of Les Riceys – excitingly, Molesme is the birthplace of the Cistercian viticultural that shaped much of Burgundy’s terroirs – they started planting 3ha of pinots and chardonnays in 2014, and the first wine was released on the market in 2024: it is a 2019 pinot noir aged in barrels and named La Haie de Brune – stay tuned, much more will be said about Cédric’s "ultimate challenge".
Roses de Jeanne, Cédric Bouchard Wines
LES URSULES 2019
100% Pinot Noir
100% Pinot Noir (12.5% alc.)
This is Cédric’s first and most emblematic cuvée which inspired the name Roses de Jeanne (see profile) – it comes from a parcel beside his parents’ house, located in the village of Celles-sur-Ource on the left bank of the Ource river. Relatively flat with a slight tilt to the north, the vines were planted in 1974 by Bouchard senior in the characteristic Kimmeridgian limestone soils of the Côte des Bar. According to Cédric, it has always given the most harmonious champagne in the range. Indeed, this is a wine of pure class with an exceptional balance between ripe fruit and refreshing acidity, complex flavours, and a long, persistent finish. Disgorged 04/23 - Non dosé.
CREUX D’ENFER 2020
100% Pinot Noir
100% Pinot Noir (12.5% alc.)
This is one of Celles-sur-Ource’s finest terroirs on the left bank of the Ource river. Only a few minutes away from Les Ursules, the plot is located above the village on a relatively steep W/NW-facing slope surrounded by forest. The vines were planted in 1990/91 by Cédric’s father and uncle using a massal selection from Les Ursules. The shallow clay topsoil is extremely rocky, littered with limestone scree bringing density to the grapes and finished wines. To decide on the optimum harvest date, Cédric regularly tastes the grapes and chews on the stems – he would only make his 'rosé de macération' if both skin and stem are fully ripe. The whole bunches are gently foot trodden in an open vat, and skin contact lasts for 48 hours. Only the free run juice pours out for fermentation and ageing in cuve. Historically, Cédric has made this deep and multi-layered wine from a mere three rows of vines – hence the extreme scarcity – and even though he has taken over the adjacent 1ha from his cousin in 2021 (see profile), he’s decided to stick to these three rows to make his rosé in the future. Another cuvée Creux d’Enfer has been added to the range from the 2021 vintage, although it is made from directly pressed grapes. Disgorged 04/24 - Non dosé.
PRESLE 2019
100% Pinot Noir
100% Pinot Noir (12.5% alc.)
Cédric is convinced that co-planting different cuttings of vines brings complexity to the finished wine. He took this philosophy to a new level here: in 2007 he planted no less than ten different massal selections of pinot fin (from different growers in Gevrey-Chambertin) on multiple rootstocks – 0.25ha made of 15 rows totalling 3,000 vines so a very high density of 12,000 vines per ha. The plot is located on a W/NW-facing slope on the left bank of the Ource river. Initially, he planned to make a red Coteaux Champenois, but given the characteristics and quality of the juice, he quickly changed his mind. Sleek and perfumed with very good bitters and texture, the cuvée Presle is notably delicate and nuanced. Of note, 2020 was the last vintage produced (see profile). Disgorged 04/23 - Non dosé.
LA BOLORÉE 2019
100% Pinot Blanc
100% Pinot Blanc (12.5% alc.)
La Bolorée is an exceptional and unique terroir on the right bank of the river between Celles-sur-Ource and Landreville. The vineyard lies due south on the upper part of a dazzling hillside planted in 1960 with the ancient strain 'pinot blanc vrai'. The bedrock here is the rarer, harder, and younger Portlandian limestone – compared to the ubiquitous Kimmeridgian found in the Côte des Bar, both part of the Jurassic period. Above, the complex topsoil is made of 60cm of sandy clay overlying a vein of chalk (extremely rare in this part of Champagne). The first wine was made in 2005 from 0.21ha, and it has since become Cédric’s favourite cuvée – excitingly, he acquired the rest of the 1960 plot in the heart of La Bolorée in 2024. He now owns 0.63ha. There is a slightly herbal, green oolong note on the nose, a peppery hint on the attack, and the fine herbal notes intensify on the finish with salivating bitters reminiscent of ripe pear skin. It is subtle and yet powerful with an expansive texture framed by a mineral structure. Racy and energetic, it’s very long and extremely savoury; one of the finest and most distinctive champagnes out there! Disgorged 04/23 - Non dosé.
LA HAUTE LEMBLÉ 2019
100% Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay (12.5% alc.)
This is the only chardonnay champagne made at Roses de Jeanne. Cédric planted this tiny 0.11ha plot in 2002 with different massal selections taken from five growers in Meursault. The south-facing vineyard sits on a slope that descends gently towards the Ource River; the soil is made of 50cm Kimmeridgian marls over the limestone bedrock. Ripe, dense and tightly wound, this feels very close to the grape, with notable energy, vigour, and a lingering finish. Disgorged 04/23 - Non dosé.
VAL VILAINE 2022
100% Pinot Noir
100% Pinot Noir (12.5% alc.)
Cédric’s plot is in the village of Polisy, a 5-10 minute drive from Celles-sur-Ource, where the vineyards are shaped and influenced by the Seine river – the Ource flows into the Seine to the north of both villages. Made from 1.45ha of 35-40yo vines, this wine has excellent weight and balance. It exudes delicate fragrances of flowers, red berries and plums with a mineral imprint from the calcareous-clay soil. Val Vilaine is always open and enjoyable in its youth compared to the other cuvées, although ageing suits it well too. This is the only wine in the range that remains one year 'sur lattes', as opposed to three years for the others (see profile). Disgorged 04/24 - Non dosé.
RDJ N°02
100% ??
100% ?? (12.5% alc.)
Cédric would not share any information for the RDJ bottlings, except that they are top wines made with love. He explains, "the aim is to be 'seul face au vin': intimately engaged with the wine, meditating on its intrinsic qualities, detached from any biased preconceptions, and hopefully experiencing a moment of bliss and happiness!". Cédric recommends sitting in a rocking chair for this exercise.