# Roses de Jeanne 'Côte de Val Vilaine' Blanc de Noirs (NV)

- **Producer:** Cédric Bouchard (Roses de Jeanne)
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** sparkling
- **Grapes:** Pinot Noir
- **Region:** Champagne, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €150
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, raspberry, redcurrant, apple, pear, lemon, fennel, bread, brioche, butter, cream, mushroom, honey, almond

## About this wine

Cédric Bouchard established Roses de Jeanne in 2000 in the Côte des Bar region of Champagne. He revolutionized the region by producing single-vineyard, single-variety, single-vintage Champagnes with zero dosage. The 'Côte de Val Vilaine' (labeled as VV) comes from a tiny 1.45-hectare parcel of Pinot Noir vines planted in 1974 in the village of Polisy. Bouchard's philosophy focuses on microscopic yields and organic farming to express the pure terroir of Kimmeridgian clay-limestone soils, similar to those found in Chablis.

## Interesting facts

- Bouchard bottles his Champagnes at a lower pressure of 4.5 atmospheres, creating an incredibly soft, vinous, and gentle mousse.
- The Val Vilaine parcel yields are microscopic, often half of the Champagne regional average, ensuring intense flavor concentration.
- Though legally Non-Vintage due to short lees aging, this wine is always a single-vintage, single-vineyard, and single-grape expression.

## Food pairing

This Blanc de Noirs possesses the structure of a still red wine combined with the high acidity and effervescence of Champagne. Its zero-dosage dryness and intense mineral core cut through rich, fatty textures like scallops or duck, while its vinous weight matches earthy elements like truffles and mushrooms.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process is meticulous and minimalist. Grapes are hand-harvested at optimum ripeness and only the first press juice (tête de cuvée) is used. Fermentation occurs with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, completely avoiding oak to preserve fruit purity. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation. Uniquely, Bouchard bottles the wine at a lower pressure (around 4 to 4.5 atmospheres instead of the usual 6) to create a soft, vinous mousse. It is aged on its lees for a relatively short period and disgorged with zero dosage (Brut Nature).