Bruno Paillard : Blanc de Blancs 1999

Characteristics and Tasting Notes of the Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs 1999

Tasting

Colour
The colour reveals a very pale, luminous gold hue, adorned with silver-green highlights. The effervescence is particularly fine and creamy.

Nose
The bouquet opens with a beautiful freshness dominated by citrus fruits, such as lime and grapefruit, intertwined with notes of white flowers. With aeration, delicious touches of almond and bread crust emerge.

Palate
The attack is lively, unfolding a complex freshness around citrus and white-fleshed fruits. The palate stands out with an intense, chalky minerality, almost saline and iodine-tinged, offering a harmonious, wine-forward texture that stretches into a long, mouth-watering finish.

Food and Wine Pairing

Ideal as an aperitif, this wine beautifully complements oysters, seafood platters and delicate fish. Its mineral tension also allows it to pair with lightly spiced dishes or gourmet poultry preparations.

Serving and Cellaring

Built for the long haul, this Blanc de Blancs 1999 boasts remarkable cellaring potential that can extend over several decades if stored under optimal conditions. The disgorgement date indicated on the bottle allows its evolution to be tracked precisely.

Other Characteristics

This champagne is an extra brut, with a very low dosage, highlighting the purity of its profile.

The Chalky Elegance of a Côte des Blancs Champagne

The Estate

Founded in 1981 in Reims by former grape broker Bruno Paillard, the eponymous house embodies independent excellence in Champagne. Now co-owned and run by his daughter, Alice Paillard, the estate relies on a vineyard spanning 25 hectares. It stands out for its environmental commitment, its pioneering use of a perpetual reserve and its exclusive production of extra brut cuvées. Family succession ensures the continuity of a style focused on purity, precision and the long term.

The Vineyard

The grapes come exclusively from grand cru-classified terroirs at the heart of the Côte des Blancs, specifically the villages of Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in Champagne. The vines thrive on pure, deep chalk soils. The estate practises sustainable viticulture, ruling out any use of herbicides or pesticides. Soil work encourages deep rooting, while biodiversity is fostered through flower-covered headlands and the planting of rose bushes.

Winemaking and Ageing

The making of this 1999 Blanc de Blancs relies solely on the use of the first pressing, ensuring optimal purity of the juices. Bottle fermentation is deliberately kept moderate to achieve a wonderfully delicate mousse. The wine then undergoes extended ageing on lees in the cellar, followed by a rest of at least ten months after disgorgement before being released for tasting.

Grape Variety

Chardonnay (100%)