Pinot Noir, Champagne, France

A blanc de noir like Ursula the sea witch, entangling us in a snare of knotted, tentacle-y pinot, at the bottom of Marianas Trench. In the late 1990s, ex-sommelier Cedric Bouchard took over his father’s vines in the Côte des Bar. If you’re looking for a reason to go down this Champy rabbit hole…here’s eight. 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! Bouchard also farms organically & dramatically restricts yields to among the lowest in all of Champagne. Only juice from the first pressing (aka free run) is used, and all fermentations are carried out with local yeast. Cedric has noted that of all the wines in his range, Ursules is always the highest in acidity, the slowest to ferment and the slowest to conclude its malolactic fermentation (think round and creamy dreamland) – and we take that as 10000% proof that slow n’ steady does in fact win the race. Mandarin essence, milk bread proofing, la crème au beurre, pear chips, lemon confit, minerality of a statue chiseled eons ago & a long penetrating finish straight from the fifth dimension. Pour alongside anything at all, you can do no wrong & neither can this rare prize.