Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs Millesime 2013
(Champagne, France) - [WA 93]

About the winery:
This small, family-owned Champagne house was only founded in 1981. Despite its youth, it has gained an excellent reputation, a testament to the passion, knowledge, skill and drive of Bruno Paillard. Paillard's vineyards cover 32 hectares (79.5 acres) of land over the best Crus of Champagne: Le Mesnil sur Oger, Oger, Cumières and Verzenay, for example. Altogether it represents over 100 plots, each with a different terroir. From these few acres of land, 12 hectares of Paillard's vineyards are classified as "Grand Cru" which is remarkable knowing that grands crus represent only 17 of the 320 villages of Champagne. Using sustainable viticulture, he also grows 50-60% of the grapes used in his wines himself.

About this wine:
The 2013 Blanc de Blancs is made exclusively from the first pressing, the purest, of Grands Crus Chardonnay from the heart of the Côte des Blancs: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger et Oger, 25% of which were vinified in old oak barrels. It benefits from seven years ageing on the lees and a further 12 to 18 months of rest after disgorgement. Dosage: Extra Brut (4.5g/l).

Tasting Notes

APPEARANCE
A brilliant, pale gold tint, with a fine and chiselled effervescence.

NOSE
A both fresh and biting, and generous. Primary notes of cooled ashes and white flowers (hawthorn), opening somewhat slowly to reveal white peach and lemon verbena, with fresh almond.

PALATE
Lively and precise, with a crystalline and limpid attack, diffusing a beguiling salinity. The wine then settles in the mouth with a texture that is both ample and molten. There is almost a minty freshness on the palate, accompanied – as the wine opens up – by a slightly fleshy fruitiness plums which evolves towards roasted hazelnuts.

Ratings & Reviews

93 Points - Wine Advocate:
"Disgorged in September 2021 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter, Bruno Paillard’s 2013 Blanc de Blancs Millésimé offers a bright and pure bouquet with aromas of verbena, spring flowers, citrus and chalky-mineral notes. Medium to full-bodied, precise and crystalline, tense, rich and perfectly balanced, it’s vibrant with a long, persistent finish. In a word: exquisite!" - Yohan Castaing (Apr 2023)