October 13, 2023 - Wines you should have bought by cases (San Shu Gong): Blinded. Disgorged 2019. Delicate with lovely aroma of white flower, peach. More expressive on the palate
March 26, 2023 - Superb Never open this one first - the other champagnes could not keep up
December 27, 2022 - Beautiful and substantial Long life ahead
December 17, 2022 - Apr 2019 disgorgement. vinous and rich. enjoyed
August 20, 2022 - This needed just a little bit of air to get started, but it was absolutely gorgeous once it opened up into seamless tones of strawberries, baked apples, peach, jasmine, biscuits, hazelnuts, toast, pears, bing cherries, red flowers, and mineral notes. There is a bit more autolysis than I expected from a Cedric Bouchard, but this is far from an autolytic-driven champagne. The Medium bodied feel is polished and elegant with crisp, high acidity. This is a gorgeous Champagne that is chugging right along. This feels like it will age effortlessly for years to come, but it's a real delight right now as well.
July 3, 2022 - Cedric Bouchard is the gold standard for champagnes for me, grower or grand marque regardless. This bottle displayed amply why this is so: A hedonistic bouquet of honey, lanolin, limestone complemented by boisterous fruit on the palate that still manages a good degree of verve with underlying acidity.
So winemaking is top notch. My only asterisk on the above and not a gripe at all is that this vintage flirts a little too much with the sweet end of things. I prefer my champagnes in a drier style.
Dont get me wrong, Cedric Bouchard remains a firm favourite. I will be glad to have this anytime. The friends that I shared this with thought this was something special. I don't disagree.
March 26, 2022 - Best Bechalin yet. Damn, this is in a good spot. Plenty of years ahead, I hope I can resist and keep one for another decade. Anyway, very defined and structured, but an exuberance makes it both an intellectual and hedonistic treat.
February 11, 2022 - Ordered off the list at Nopa.
I found this a bit more lacking compared to the bottle I had a few months ago, from the 2013 vintage. Perhaps this wasn't given enough air, or maybe it's a reflection of the vintage, but it seemed quite a bit more obtuse and green than I had expected. Still delicious -- but just not what I hope for with Bouchard. This also had the misfortune of following an excellent bottle of 2002 Dom, so perhaps the odds were just stacked against it this time.
November 8, 2021 - Monday Night Football and Grand Cru (Chicago, IL): Disgorged April 2019, V12. Very biscuity and sweet, especially for a Bouchard. I admit that I definitely like that more than usual, as I can find the wines a little too structural and not giving of much pleasure. The fruit on this is strange; there's white grape juice on the attack and midpalate, but the acidity on the finish is more tart pineapple than anything. Not sure how that transition happens. This has good intensity and I do like the chalky texture on the finish.
September 1, 2021 - Second time drinking this on a vacation, and maybe that's biasing the result but this is really tasty! Great fruity notes of green apple, citrus, but also minerality, and slight chalkiness. Loved it