Born in Reims in 1953, Bruno Paillard became a fine Champagne broker at the young age of 22, following in the tradition of his wine-entrenched family tree dating back to 1704. By 27, he had chosen to pursue his dream of opening his own Champagne house in a conservative region that hadn’t seen a new house in more than 100 years. Shooing away his critics, he marched onward, renting a cellar and buying grapes from carefully selected growers to produce his first Champagnes in the early ‘80s.

By 1988, revered critic Hugh Johnson described Bruno’s work as, “a small but prestigious young Champagne house with excellent silky vintages and non-vintage!” These words were fuel to Bruno’s fire as he continued expanding his production efforts, buying his first vineyard in 1994 – three Grand Cru hectares in Oger in the Côte des Blancs. Today, his holdings cover 25 hectares – including 12 that are Grand Cru – which provide more than half the fruit for his wines, with the rest coming from his lengthy relationships with top Champagne growers. His equally skilled, knowledgeable, and passionate daughter, Alice, came on board in 2007 – now heading up the operations and working to expand the family business to even greater heights.

This brilliant extra brut Champagne – named Cuvée 72 for the 36 months of aging on lees plus 36 more in the bottle, post-disgorgement – is a careful blend of 45% pinot noir, 33% chardonnay, and 22% pinot meunier. The base wine was harvested in 2014 with an additional 30 reserve wines of top-secret composition dating back to 1985 filling out the cuvée and enhancing the overall depth and complexity. A proportion of 20% of the wine experienced its first fermentation in oak barrels, adding subtle but warming toasted and nutty aromas to the final product.

Light yellow in color and reminiscent of hay, with golden streaks and fine bubbles, the wine’s extended aging time has paid off in spades, developing into something romantic and delicate, with a delightful balance between floral, spicy, and toasty aromas and a slight, yet searing, zip of acidity. Opening with a citrus emulsion of lemon tart and ripe blood orange before switching to something more floral – orange blossom and Mayflower notes, most notably – the nose is a bright welcome into the palate of even more expanding flavors. Red fruits come in next from the pinot noir: red currant jelly, blackberries, and baked black plums. Undertones of nuttiness and spice, like saffron and cedar wood, bring balance and a spine of savoriness that compliments the fruit sensations to no end. This wine is a creative masterpiece and a cacophony of flavors that will leave you desiring more – hence why we’re offering FREE shipping on 3+ bottles! Trust me, you won’t want to pass this one up!