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Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru 2013 Wine - Last Bottle

Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru 2013

95 pt. 2013 from the Iconic Bruno Paillard!

$109
$145

Retail

25
Flavor Profile: Roasted almond, shortbread biscuit, spiced apple, pear, wet slate, cardamom, clove, jasmine, lemongrass
Time on Lees: 84 months
Dosage: 4.5 g/L
Score: JD95, WE95

Why We Love It...

Rulebreaker, innovator, and yet a treasured admirer of the traditions of ages past...Bruno Paillard is one iconic and somewhat contradictory, legend in the wine world. His life’s work equates to a portfolio of truly esteemed Champagnes that are all at once unique, expressive, and outright exceptional. Let’s put it this way, if my lineage was magically revealed to be the lost branch of the Romanovs, and I inherited the newly created throne of Old Russia – Bruno’s wines would become my daily drinkers – alongside daily caviar. In the meantime, these remain a treat, and one of the finest Champagnes in my repertoire...ones you’ll be ecstatic to add to yours too!

Born and raised in Champagne – just like his ancestors dating all the way back to 1704 – Bruno Paillard was raised working in wine. By the time he turned 22, he was a fine Champagne broker with an invaluable depth of knowledge of the superior houses and greatest styles. (What was I doing at age 22? Well, let’s just say, I was drinking my fair share of the cheap stuff and leave it at that.) Story goes, in 1981, Bruno quit his job and sold his pride and joy, a vintage Mark II Jaguar, in order to go all in on the purchase of some fruit and rent space in a cellar to begin crafting his own Champagne. This was the first new house in Reims in more than 100 years, and Champagne Bruno Paillard has pushed forward ever since.

Through the years, his family’s amassed vineyards of their own, now covering 25 hectares of vines, 12 of which are the exclusive Grand Crus class. These provide more than half of their fruit, while select growers from an additional 30 villages provide the rest for the past several decades and counting. Today, Bruno’s exceptionally passionate and equally skilled daughter, Alice, runs the house, following in her father’s footsteps.

This 100% chardonnay is truly exquisite. Hailing from the Grand Crus of Oger and Le Mesnil in the center of the Côte des Blancs, only the first, most gently pressed juice was used in this cuvée. One-fourth of the wine went on to vinification in old oak barriques, while the rest sat in stainless steel tanks. The challenging growing season of 2013 – which we’re now only recognizing created some of the finest Champagnes in recent history – drew out high acidity and lean, muscular characteristics in this Champagne that have meticulously integrated into a near-perfect bottling. As a newer import to the U.S., it sat for 7 years on the lees, plus over 2 more on the cork, before its release. Such patience has certainly paid off in this outrageously fine Blanc de Blancs that’s fantastic now, with a certainly great evolution to come!

Light and golden in color, with toasty, nutty aromas, the nose gets greeted with roasted almonds and delicate shortbread biscuits before the accompaniment of spiced apple pie comes in next. A brilliant and electric acidity slides in next on the palate, ushering in even more apple sensations (fresh, this time), with pears, wet slate, and finishing layers of myriad spices, such as cardamom, clove, jasmine, and lemongrass. A tingly finish feels like you might just touch the fire in this percussion-like vibration that melts down the length of your spine. Seriously saliva-inducing, uniquely intense, and long-lived…a true wonder of a wine with impeccable breeding and pedigree! Worthy of any Bubble Monter’s collection, and then some!

Scores

1 / 2

Fizz Meter

Technical Details

Country: France
Region: Champagne
Appellation: Côte des Blancs
Varietal: Chardonnay
Winemaker: Laurent Guyot and Alice Paillard
Alcohol: 12%
Production: 800
Pair it with: Pork tenderloin with glazed carrots and apple sauce

Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru 2013

$109
$145

Retail

25

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