Champagne house founded by Bruno Paillard, making Extra Brut wines with a Perpetual Reserve and disgorgement dates on every bottle.
The producer
Champagne house founded by Bruno Paillard after he sold his Jaguar in his late twenties. His family had been growers and brokers in Bouzy and Verzenay since 1704. The house is one of the few entirely independent Champagne houses and makes only Extra Brut wines, with dosage at most 6 g/l. Its Perpetual Reserve stores reserve wines in tanks and small oak barrels, with a sequence reaching back to 1985. NPU 2008 combines 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay from seven Grand Cru villages, then ages for 10 years on lees and 2 years after disgorgement.
Known for
Extra Brut Champagne and reserve blending
Notable facts
Bruno Paillard founded the house in 1981 after selling his Jaguar.
The house is one of the few entirely independent Champagne houses.
All the house's Champagnes are Extra Brut, with dosage at most 6 g/l.
The Perpetual Reserve was created in 1985.
NPU 2008 is 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay from seven Grand Cru villages.
The story
A Jaguar Funds the House
In 1981, Bruno Paillard was in his late twenties and had no capital for a new Champagne house. He sold his Jaguar, a collector's item, and used the money to fund the venture. The house became the first new Champagne house established in the region in nearly a century. Paillard had worked as a broker since 1975, while his family had been growers and brokers in Bouzy and Verzenay since 1704. The house remains one of the few entirely independent Champagne houses.
The Perpetual Reserve Begins
In 1985, Bruno Paillard created the Perpetual Reserve while the house was still in its early years. The system stores reserve wines in tanks and small oak barrels. Each new blend includes wines from earlier years, and the sequence reaches back to the reserve's creation. Reserve wines make up close to 50% of multi vintage blends. In solera style blending, a portion of the older wine remains in the system as new wine is added for later blends. The method continues from year to year.
From the atlas
Champagne Bruno Paillard
Champagne house founded by Bruno Paillard, with Extra Brut cuvées and a Perpetual Reserve blending wines from earlier years.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Champagne, France
Base
Reims
Founded
1981
Annual production
About 500,000 bottles
House style
Extra Brut Champagne
The Producer
Bruno Paillard had worked as a Champagne broker since 1975 when he sold his Jaguar to fund the house in his late twenties. The house was the first new Champagne house established in the region in nearly a century. It remains one of the few entirely independent Champagne houses.
In 1985, he created the Perpetual Reserve, a solera style system in which reserve wines from earlier years are blended into later wines. The reserve wines are stored in tanks and small oak barrels, with the sequence reaching back to its first year. Reserve wines make up close to 50% of multi vintage blends.
All the house's Champagnes are Extra Brut, a relatively low dosage category with at most 6 g/l.
Place
The house is headquartered in Reims, where Bruno Paillard was born in 1953. His family had been growers and brokers in the Grand Cru villages of Bouzy and Verzenay since 1704. In Champagne, Grand Cru is a village classification, so Bouzy and Verzenay identify classified village origins rather than individual vineyard parcels.
Wines
Première Cuvée Extra Brut is the non vintage cuvée. Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is a Grand Cru cuvée. NPU 2008 is a vintage cuvée, composed of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay from seven Grand Cru villages.
The non vintage wine opens with white peaches, pear and subtle toast, then brings citrus, cherry and brioche, ending zesty and refined. The Grand Cru cuvée has a fine, mineral character. The vintage wine spends 10 years on lees and 2 years after disgorgement.
Lees are the yeast sediment left after fermentation; time on lees can build texture before the bottle develops further after disgorgement. The vintage wine has a precise and fresh attack, with vivacity balancing depth and silky texture; the palate is powerful and serene.
Final Word
Bruno Paillard became the first Champagne producer to display the disgorgement date on every bottle in 1983.