RP
93
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate
WS
93
Wine Spectator
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Bruno Paillard Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru (NV)

Product description

Very pale and shiny with green tints.  The effervescence is lighter than in the other Champagnes thanks to a less powerful bottle fermentation.  First aromas are citrus – lime and grapefruit – followed by white flowers.  While opening in the glass, a touch of almond and toast appears.  The entry is lively leading to a complex combination of citrus and white flowers.  The effervescence is extremely fine, silky and creamy.  The finish is fresh and long.

Exclusively made of Chardonnay grapes, this wine is also known as “the Lace of Champagne” because of its very fine and persistent white mousse

Blend:  First pressing Chardonnay, sourced exclusively from grands crus vineyards “Côte des Blancs”.

Reserve wines:  25 vintages, going back to 1985.

Ageing:  Four years sur lie, then ten months further ageing after disgorgement. The delicacy of the bubbles helps to tame the naturally mineral Grands Crus to offer a sensation that is both creamy and lively.

Specificity:  A very old winemaking method is used where fermentation in the bottle is less powerful than traditional champagne.

Dosage:  Extra brut, very low dosage: 5g/L


93 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Adocate    Sourced from 36 parcels in Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger, and kept on the lees for 48 months, the NV Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut opens with an intense and complex, very mineral and Burgundian bouquet with chalky, toasty and bright fruit aromas intertwined with whole grain and even oyster flavors.  On the palate, this is terribly fresh and intense, very young and straightforward.  There is a rich and almost sweet extract on the palate that gives texture and length.  The finish, however, is cleansing, pure, fresh, and very, very long.  This is a great tensioned and chalky Blanc de Blancs from the Cotes des Blancs, and its aging potential should be enormous.

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast    Grand Cru vineyards in Le Mesnil sur Oger and Oger contribute the majority of the Chardonnay fruit in this real representative of the Côte des Blancs. The wine is crisp, and textured, a panoply of white fruits and steeliness. This bottling is ready to drink although it will be even better from 2020 after more bottle age.