Cedric Bouchard Val Vilaine 2018

Bouchard's NV Blanc de Noirs Côte de Val Vilaine (2018) is fleshy and dramatic, bursting with aromas of pear, warm bread, orange oil, nutmeg and beeswax. Medium to full-bodied, textural and enveloping, it's one of the most gourmand, generous renditions of Val Vilaine to date, yet it remains beautifully precise and vibrant—even racy. It will be hard to resist young, but I suspect it will also evolve very gracefully in the cellar. As usual, while this is officially a "non-vintage" cuvée, the code "L18" on the label designates the year from which it is entirely derived.