n.v. Bruno Paillard, Premier Cuvée, Extra Brut Champagne, Reims, France.
The beautiful, bone dry and richly elegant Bruno Paillard Extra Brut Premer Cuvée is an absolutely delicious bubbly that has pretty of character, charm and style to show off in the glass with a fine yeasty regal presence. The mousse is luxurious, but still gracefully vibrant with small beading bubbles that are bot creamy and electric, making this Champagne a great choice for any occasion and the palate grabs your attention with sophisticated density, subtle fruits and a long finish. Golden apple, lemon chiffon, quince and delicate tropical notes lead the way and are nicely framed by the leesy toast, brioche, almond paste and not sweet honeyed hazelnut. I also loved how it changed in the glass and enjoyed the faint background of mineral, white flowers and wet stone elements, all in all, this is a brilliant all round non vintage Champagne that does everything well and truly lacks for nothing.
Again, it was a thrill to taste through the latest disgorgements of the Bruno Paillard lineup, including this Premiere Cuvée, the beautiful Blanc de Noirs, which saw three years on the lees, and (my favorite) the tension filled and extremely dry Zero Dosage bottling. Champagne Bruno Paillard, with their Réserve Perpétuelle, that dates back 40 years to 1985, is a true enthusiast producer and an insiders Champagne house that focuses on terroirs and structure, with this one a blend of mostly cooler, limestone influenced Pinot Noir Grand Cru sites. Bruno Paillard’s Première Cuvée Extra-Brut, is their signature offering, with more than 30 crus from the noblest terroirs of the Champagne region. A blend of Pinot Meunier (22%), Chardonnay (33%) and Pinot Noir (45%), of which a part (20%) makes its first fermentation in barrel. The reserve wines, Paillard says, comes from 25 vintages, can go up to 50%, depending n current vintage quality. It sees three full years on lees followed by 6 months minimum after disgorgement.
($60 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive