Bruno Paillard ‘Les Parcelles XVII’ Bouzy Grand Cru Extra Brut

Les Parcelles offer plenty of Bouzy character by delivering a wine of depth and creamy richness. Flavors and aromas of toasted bread, pear nectar and honey unfold upon the palate. The finish is all smoke and lees and lingering toastiness. In combination, the wine is generous, complex and multi-faceted with broad appeal.
Dosage: 1 gram per liter. 70% base wine, 30% reserve wines.
Les Parcelles is a precise expression of Bouzy terroir, combining a rich ripeness with chalky finesse. Harvested primarily in 2017 with 30% of reserve wines, this cuvée is composed of 70% pinot noir and 30 % chardonnay. Les Parcelles benefits from extended aging sur lie: 4 years in 19th century cellars at a constant 50°F/10°C temperature.

Jancis Robinson 17/20:
Deep bronze colour. Surely lots of oak here? Rich on the nose. Almost sweet, which makes the Extra Brut all the more remarkable. Pretty full-on mousse. This is almost more like a pale red burgundy that happens to have bubbles. It has a suggestion of Pinot Gris perfume about it too. Quite a statement! And not a silly price for the distinctive character it offers. A labor of love?

This is a gem of an estate of just 11 hectares, unusually blessed with having uniquely Grand Cru vineyards in the famed village of Bouzy. Nestled on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims, this village, along with neighboring Ambonnay, is famed for producing some of the region’s most intense, profound and exceptional Pinot Noir.

The Paillards have been crafting wine in Grand Cru village of Bouzy for over 200 years, yet it is only in recent years that the estate has begun to fulfil its true potential. Brothers Antoine and Quentin returned to the Domaine in 2008, before taking full control in 2012. Bringing energy, an outward looking sensibility and a deep respect for their fantastic vineyards, the brothers have rejuvenated the estate to such a degree that it now stands as one of the finest family houses in all of Champagne.

Being Bouzy, their holdings are dominated by Pinot Noir, most of which is either their own sélection massale or Burgundian Pinot Fin and of an impressive age. Soil health is seen as paramount and as a result only organic composts and treatments are employed. Fermentations are spontaneous, malos never blocked, and the wines are never chaptalized or cold stabilized –this is the sort of hands-off winemaking that is only made possible by exceptional fruit and very attentive farming.

A steadily increasing proportion of wooden barrels is employed for the small lot vinifications that are the norm here, before ageing sur lie in their 17m deep, spotless, historic family cellars. In the case of Les Parcelles this runs to an impressive 48 months prior to release –commensurate with the fact that the blend is composed from 22 individually vinified plots of Grand Cru vineyards –quite a claim for a mere ‘entry’ level wine. Dominated by Pinot Noir this is a seriously delicious Champagne full of precise golden fruit and a deeply impressive minerality.