2013 Champagne Bruno Paillard, Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Extra Brut

Bruno Paillard

Established in 1981, Bruno Paillard is based in Reims, in the heart of the Champagne region of France. The estate is known for its commitment to crafting wines of the finest calibre, driven by a philosophy of precision, attention to detail, and a focus on showcasing the pure expression of the terroir.

As a “Négociant Manipulant” (NM) Champagne house, they own some of their vineyards, but they also source grapes from carefully selected growers with longstanding relationships. This approach allows them greater control over the grape quality and maintains their strict quality standards.

One key aspect that sets Bruno Paillard apart is its dedication to using only the first pressing of the grapes during the winemaking process. This process, known as “cuvée,” is believed to be the finest and most delicate juice from the grapes, resulting in Champagne of exceptional finesse and elegance.

Another distinctive feature of Bruno Paillard Champagnes is their extended ageing period in their cellars. The house holds its non-vintage Champagnes in the cellar for at least three years, while vintage and prestige cuvées can age even longer, allowing the wines to develop complexity, depth, and character.

Bruno Paillard produces a range of Champagnes, from the fresh and lively non-vintage blends to the more complex and nuanced vintage and prestige cuvées. Each Champagne is carefully crafted to express the unique characteristics of the grapes and the specific terroir they come from.

Brut Champagne

Brut denotes a dry style of Champagne (less than 15 grams per litre). Most Champagne is non-vintage, produced from a blend from different years. The non-vintage blend is always based predominately on wines made from the current harvest, enriched with aged wines (their proportion and age varies by brand) from earlier harvests, which impart an additional level of complexity to the end wine. Champagnes from a single vintage are labelled with the year reference and with the description Millésimé.

Non-vintage Champagnes can improve with short-term ageing (typically two to three years), while vintages can develop over much longer periods (five to 30 years). The most exquisite and often top-priced expression of a house’s style is referred to as Prestige Cuvée. Famous examples include Louis Roederer's Cristal, Moët & Chandon's Dom Pérignon, and Pol Roger's Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.

Recommended Producers : Krug, Billecart Salmon, Pol Roger, Bollinger, Salon, Gosset, Pierre Péters, Ruinart

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.

Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.

Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.