n.v. Bruno Paillard, Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs, Grand Cru Champagne, Reims, France.
The 100% Pinot Noir based and multi-vintage blended Bruno Paillard Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Champagne is a brilliantly detailed, mineral toned and elegant bubbly with white peachy stone fruit, lemony citrus, golden fig, apple skin and quince fruits, along with chalky wet stones, hazelnut brioche, yeasty bread dough and delicate white blossoms. The palate is crisply dry, brisk and racy, just the way I like my Champagne with an ultra low dosage, but still luxurious and with an excellent mousse that is lively and creamy. It was a thrill to taste through the latest disgorgements of the Bruno Paillard lineup, including the Premiere Cuvée, this 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 house and an insiders Champagne that focuses on terroirs and structure, with this one a blend of mostly cooler, limestone influenced Pinot Noir Grand Cru sites.
The Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru, as the winery explains, was born from the desire to show, through the blending of diverse vintages, a rich and precise expression of Pinot Noir from the northern crus of Champagne. Going on Paillard says this wine is entirely composed of first pressing Pinot Noir from four elite Grands Crus, these being Verzenay, Mailly, Verzy and the famous Bouzy. The first three of them, the winery adds, have a predominantly northern orientation, a bit cooler, and these historic, chalky terroirs bring together the elegance and distinctive depth of Pinot Noir. The Blanc de Noirs is mostly vinified in stainless steel, with only a small proportion of oak is used, between15 to 20%, depending on the year to enrich the blend. The Pinot cuvée then spends three years on the lees, giving it time to mature and integrate completely. After disgorgement the Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru rests for a minimum of six months in the cellar and like all the Maison Bruno Paillard Champagnes, as noted above, it is an Extra-Brut, with that low dosage, which is just 3g/l. These are dynamic and complex Champagnes, very much made for enjoying with cuisine and or pairing with a dish, and this Blanc de Noirs is especially a gastronomic friendly bottling.
($124 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive