Tasting at Maison Bruno Paillard, with Alice & Bruno Paillard.
Earlier this year (in one of those narrow gaps between lockdowns), I made a trip to Champagne to meet with a number of individuals involved with both on and off trade to understand how the evolving Covid-19 landscape was shaping the wine industry. Whilst the findings were both eye opening and largely as expected (and will be the subject of a future article), the trip did afford the opportunity to visit a handful of producers who I have a lot of time for, in this instance the inimitable Maison Bruno Paillard.
For a quick bit of background, Bruno Paillard Champagnes prize something which stirs my soul in the world of wine.. ‘elegance’. All too often I see tasters dive headlong into technical notes and/or scores from critics, but I often find the source of the greatest pleasure (and more informative conversations) are with the winemakers themselves on the style they are emulating.
One of my favourite quotes was ‘not confusing complexity with heaviness’. I couldn’t have expressed the intangibility and ethereal nature of what makes a wine great better myself.
A quick word on the 2020 Vintage after discussing with a few in Montagne de Reims - challenging but rewarding. Great dispersion in plot sites, some grumbles over yields but overall the quality is there.
We tasted 3 wines with Alice and Bruno - details below.
Bruno Paillard - Première Cuvée
There’s nothing quite like the casual mic drop of your house blend being a multi-vintage comprising >30 crus and 25 vintages. Extra brut (as the house style), first press only. Golden hues in the glass, hint of straw complexion. Nose first shows cool climate chardonnay - more citrus than stone fruits. Pinot Noir contributes a little more subtle power of an undercurrent through it all. The acidity is just something I can never quite believe. It’s so light, so pure and so ‘clean’. Low dosage really shows what the juice is doing and its just oh so right.
Bruno Paillard - Rosé Première Cuvée
I must admit, I’m not a Rose fan. There I’ve said it. But one to never back down from a challenge, Alice opened this cuvee. Only first pressing again, but here’s where the technical skills get impressive. It’s made from two discrete approaches to Pinot Noir.. (I) Red wine from the PN comes from prolonged maceration on the skins, plus (2) before any of this, white wine is extracted from the grape via a quick pressing and a separation from skins. Add a little chardonnay and… wow.. The colour is just alive in the glass. It’s vibrant, shimmering and alluring. Think warm copper but lighter. Hints of violet and wild strawberry on the nose. Absolutely spellbinding.
Bruno Paillard - MILLÉSIMÉ 2012 Blanc de Blancs (New Release)
So part of the reason for the delay in sharing this adventure is we tasted this wine ahead of the global release and as such out of respect did not comment. But now the cat is out of the bag, I’m thrilled to share.
First off, the art. A Japanese artist (Takehiko Sugawara) was tasked with capturing the theme of ‘strength and grace’ and despite the covid-19 headaches of getting the actual artwork over, it encapsulates the style beautifully.
Grapes 2/3 Mesnil and 1/3 Oger from Cote de Blancs, all grand cru. 2012 was a ‘crazy’ year with spring hail and comparatively ‘compact’ or dense wines that Bruno likened to a firework. I Can understand why they held this back for a few extra years to find its feet.
Disgorged April 2019 with just 3g/l dosage.
The nose is like a coiled spring and definitely rewards patience. I was expecting more white flowers, but in fact the first aroma I landed with a limestone/ lemon rind mix. Somewhat unhelpfully, my notes called this ‘like the moment you unearth a lemon meringue fossil.. mature, inviting, fresh’. Palate just sings. Density and compactness I can concur with. A superbly built wine, but definitely one for a little age to find its feet. Bravo!
As a side, I must mention Hedonism wines in London for bringing us together in the first place all those years ago.
Would love to extend our thanks one again the Paillard family for hosting. Also to Bruno for his enduring charm and executive direction, and last but definitely not least, to Alice, the magician who weaves it all together (and with a technical gift to somehow answer all my questions and still be courteous!)
