Oh my!

originally posted by Yixin:
What was it about this wine that made it stand apart from the rest? I cannot say I have been overly impressed by what I've had to date, although I have not had the Parcelle.
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'Wish I could say (which is why I tried not to).
But since I seem to be in a gushing mood, how about this:
Purity taken to the nth degree; the bubbles, although continuous, never overwhelm the flavors; the flavors are so perfectly pinot yet ethereal; the wine's balance is beyond anything I have experienced prior; and, (and this should not be lost in translation) my wife thinks the same things I do.
That last may make one think that I am simply playing favorites but her delight and response is as much a part of me as my own perceptions.
And once again I say, I am not a bubbles guy - few have ever impressed me and it was getting to the point that I thought any old bubbly would do.
No longer.

Best, Jim
 
Says Simon Field MW
"From 100% Pinot Noir, and in all but name based on the 2002 vintage, the parcel in question covers 0.5 hectares, identified by Cedric as capable of producing the ultimate expression of a black graped Pinot Noir that has been treated with bio-dynamic care. The result is profound, rich, earthy and vinous. The freshness on the palate provides a perfect foil to all this gravitas, and the wine has both the power and the balletic elegance to be extremely versatile and to keep for a number of years"

and WA a 93.

I'm looking forward to my first bottle [to be shared with my wife] and freely confess my order today was unduly influenced by the love shown by Florida Jim. Why I should do that when he says he hasn't particularly liked most of the Champagne I have enjoyed for years is only explicable in terms of my liking for extreme [and matrimonially shared] enthusiasm. I will post whether it's whoopee or a raspberry but if the latter I will point only at myself. I expect the former.
 
well, last night at the burg dinner I attended, someone brought a bouchard inflorescence - tried to read the label but between the lack of color contrast of the printing against the background, low lights, my eyesight, and the urgent demands of others that I quit bogarting the bottle, I couldn't ascertain any more particulars.

I'm not a big champagne fan, although I seem to drink it fairly often, due to having a close friend who is a huge fan.

this was spectacular and I'd gladly spring for some.

This was acquired awhile ago from Arrowine. Not sure when.

ok, update from person who brought it - this was apparently the 2007 cuvee of the regular blanc de noir, offered by arrowine last december and last august. Unclear to me whether any of the blanc de noir shown on wine-searcher is the same cuvee. But for a champagne that cost $50ish, it was very very good.
 
Jim,
I was fortunate to enjoy a bottle of the '02 about 6 mo ago and had a similar reaction. It struck me as the finest BdN I'd had. I had a hard time focusing on the conversation I was having at the time. Just the pure essence of PN based Champagne.
A later bottle was not as striking, but in my 5 or 6 experiences of Inflorescence and RdJ these are beautiful wines.
BTW There was a lengthy discussion here about them about a year back.
Brian C
 
Jim, you are right on target.

This producer blew me away a couple of years ago and I've been buying them up ever since...a few of every bottling I can get. I drink a fair amount of grower fizz and consider myself somewhat picky about my Champagne...and this producer...to my palate...is a standout. The complexity, real acidity, balance, length, edgyness, precision, intensity, ...it's an impressive wine. I'd like to taste the still wine sometime from all the different bottlings -- it would be very enlightening.

-mark
 
The most spectacular vin clair I've had was the Krug '96 and it was still painful. Be careful what you wish for, Mark.
 
Yeah, I dunno. I mean, it's interesting as an exercise in...interest. But I wouldn't exactly call it a joyful exercise. Doing it year after year, in quantity, before deciding on next steps is something I'll admire from a distance, thank you.
 
originally posted by Yixin:
The most spectacular vin clair I've had was the Krug '96 and it was still painful. Be careful what you wish for, Mark.
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Interesting...I love the acidity in '96!! My favorite Champagne vintage since I've been buying wine...

I visited Krug in '05...and something about the pretension of the place really put me off. When I asked them deep questions, they never could answer them...and I got responses like: "it's the best because it's Krug"...Anyway...I do appreciate some of the wines -- I almost hate to admit I like some of them, but there is something about that experience that ruined it for me.

Now Cedric is my hero...along with perhaps another dozen or so folks in the region.

-mark
 
Well last night I opened one of the bottles of the La Parcelle Inflorescence acquired from Berry Bros & Rudd [no affiliation] as a direct result of Florida Jim's love-in. It was an opener to an evening which included dinner at Le Gavroche, London to celebrate my Champagne-loving wife's birthday.

Suffice to say it was a definite whoopee and close enough to the experience Jim reported for me not to try and qualify it or seek to write a TN which I am hopeless at anyway.

Susans favourite Champagne is Taittingers Comtes de Champagne and while she wouldnt put this above that she confessed to liking it a lot. Actually for a 100% Blanc des Noirs it seemed to have a little of the airiness of that favourite Blanc de Blancs although for me also I liked the [almost] chewy quality of the wine - and the last time I felt that in a similar way was when consuming 90 Cristal which is definitely in my top 10.

I have had and enjoyed various Cedric Bouchard wines before but this was certainly the most enjoyable to date. Thank you Jim.

By the way this had labor par Jean-Pierre Bouchard and Distribu by Cedric Bouchard on the front label plus dgorge 12 April 2010 and Lieu-dit CTE DE BCHALINon the larger back label.
I have seen various explanations of how this wine came to be but the label appears to make a specific claim
Variously I have seen: (1) J-P Bouchard is Cedrics father (2) Cedrics father owns the vines that make the Inflorescence range and (3) that this particular [100% 2002] wine was already made [by someone else? Cedrics father?] when La Parcelle was acquired by Bouchard. I suppose the facts dont matter since the wine speaks for itself.
 
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