Chardonnay, Champagne, France 

CoNcEntRaTiOn, like ‘The Thinker’ by sculptor Auguste Rodin, but you don’t need to be a (pseudo)intellectual to revel in this wine. In the late 1990s, ex-sommelier Cedric Bouchard took over his father’s vines in the Côte des Bar. Since the beginning, Cedric has embraced a revolutionary philosophy by Champagne standards: single-vineyard, single-variety (pinot noir, chardonnay or pinot blanc), single-vintage & zero-dosage Champagnes! UNHEARD OF! Everything is farmed organically & yields are restricted to among the lowest in all of Champagne (part of the reason for this BOUGIE price point). Only juice from the first pressing (aka free run) is used, and all fermentations are carried out with local yeast. The Haut Lemblee is the only chardonnay champagne made by Cédric, coming from a minute 0.11 hectare plot from five different massal selections—the term for the practice of replanting new vineyards with cuttings from exceptional old vines from the same, or nearby, property. These prized vines were planted in 2002 on a south-facing slope in Celles-sur-Ource for maximum sunlight and therefore ripening of these beloved chard vines. White mint, baby’s breath flowers, vigorous lemon curd, chalk chunks, fresh peach, hazelnut cream, kanzi apples, a soaring pegasus & sweetly satin in texture. Drink on your birthday, cuz baby, you’re in them golden years *cue David Bowie song*.