Champagne and Conversation with Alice Paillard

There were more than a few reasons why lunchtime onlookers were envious of our table at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in Chicago. Chilled bottles of Champagne from Bruno Paillard Champagne House were poured and luscious platters of seafood, salads, and more were presented to our group of five.

And who was one of the guests at this deliciously unforgettable experience? Alice Paillard, daughter of Bruno Paillard, had just arrived in the city to share her authentic wines and fascinating story of her family’s Champagne house located in Reims, France. Currently, Alice, who has hands-on experience in the vineyards, the cellar, and in management, co-manages the Maison with her father. Together, they maintain an independent Champagne house that exports 75% of their wines to 30 different countries (mostly to Europe, Asia, and North America).

As the Champagne and conversation flowed, Alice explained that through the years, the styles of this iconic sparkling wine have changed. Her father had a vision to create his own highly personal approach to wine by respecting its terroir, quality, region, and consumer.

“Bruno Paillard respects the terroir and region of Champagne.” – Alice Paillard

Located about 90 miles northeast of Paris, at the northernmost zone for vine cultivation, continental and oceanic influences abound in Champagne.  Often, debilitating winter frosts, vast amount of sunshine in the summer, cool temperatures, and consistent rainfall are elements that affect each harvest. Hillside homes and underground cellars dot the landscape in the four main growing regions: Montagne de Reims, Vallee de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, and Côte des Bar.

With a limited availability of land (at an extremely high price, by the way), there is no space left for additional grape growing. Of the approximately 20,000 land owners, 5000 produce their own estate wines; the majority produce Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay grapes that are sold to large Champagne houses.  Yields are decided upon prior to harvest in order to focus on excellence, not volume.  Champagne growers are focused on consistency of quality and style through blending grapes, plots, and villages.

And so are those of Maison Bruno Paillard. Preservation of the signature chalky minerality of the terroir is of paramount importance; sustainable practices are in place. The pervasive logic is to be caretakers of the region for future generations.

“My father wants to honor Champagne with his own style, one that enhances.” – Alice Paillard

Founded in 1981, Bruno Paillard Champagne House has worked with families who have cultivated grapes in the region for many years. Bruno Paillard purchased his first vineyard in 1994 with three Grand Cru hectares in Oger in the Côte des Blancs. Now he has 79 acres of vineyards including 15 crus (Villages); 35 acres of the total come from Grand and Premier cru vineyards. The 79 acres represent 50% of its supply (an exceptionally high percentage for a Champagne house). Chardonnay vineyards comprise 29 acres, Pinot Noir are cultivated on 32 acres, and Pinot Meunier are grown in 18 acres. All are located in different locations boasting unique terroir and microclimates.

The annual production at Maison Bruno Paillard is comparatively small and each Champagne is a “reflection of his palate and what he personally seeks from a Champagne”. The wines are from a range of vintage years (MV signifies “multi-vintage”); the absence of a vintage date on the label indicates that a champagne is MV or NV (non-vintage). In fact, a stock of some of the oldest multi-vintage reserve wines in Champagne, dating back over 25 years, can be found at Maison Bruno Paillard. Reserve wines are blended to make an extra brut “dosage” and wines are aged “two to four times longer than the minimum required by the appellation”.

Interestingly, Bruno Paillard was the first to print disgorgement dates on Champagne labels. According to Bruno Paillard, “in the life of a bottle of Champagne, the disgorgement is a key moment: from that day, a process of ageing begins that is unique to Champagne”. He continues to be the Champagne region’s most passionate advocate of this practice and other Houses now feature disgorgement dates on their wines so that consumers can choose when they would like to open the bottle. Click here for more information about disgorgement at Maison Bruno Paillard.

“When you provoke a wine, it shows its strengths.” – Alice Paillard

Paired with a range of exceptional food (crab legs, ceviche, crabcakes, raw tuna, salads, French fries, and more) were five wines representing the distinct style of Bruno Paillard. Alice remarked during our conversation that “our wines never jump in your face – we don’t want the wines to overpower the food”.

Our first pour was of the Première Cuvée, their flagship wine (60% of the production) that is a prime example of elegance, harmony, and balance. From grapes sourced from over 30 Crus in the region, beautiful aromas of citrus, tropical fruit, and gentle raspberry and red currant notes led to flavors of much of the same, as well as almonds, toast, and the slightest hints of black fruit and figs. The disgorgement date on the label indicates April 2016.

The Rosé Première Cuvée was a brilliant surprise in the glass and on the palate. Bright, vivacious, and flavorful, this delicate Champagne is of both white wine and red wine of Pinot Noir. The white is from a quick press and separation of the skins and the red is obtained by long maceration of the juice on the skin. Pure and dry, aromas and tastes of red currants, cherries, strawberries, and violets were absolutely joyful and I noted strength and power mid-palate. Alice shared that this wine is “about showing how delicate Pinot Noir can be”.

Next, the Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru was a fine wine that embraced the minerality of the terroir. Chardonnay grapes from Grand Cru vineyards (Côte des Blancs) were “aged four years sur lie then ten months further after disgorgement two years ago”. Delightful effervescence was pervasive and soft aromas of white flowers and citrus were followed by notes of citrus, lime, grapefruit, and lemon.

The Champagne Bruno Paillard Dosage Zéro is considered “the ultimate winemaking challenge”. The autumn of 2018 saw the first release of this particular wine after years of experimenting with the painstaking process to create an extra dry, non-vintage Première Cuvée with no sugar while maintaining the landmark Bruno Paillard style of balance, harmony, and complexity. Comprised of 50% reserve wines on a foundation of the base vintage, more than half of the wine in each bottle was fermented in small, used barriques in order to soften the acidity; it was disgorged in January 2018, after three and a half years ageing on the lees. Alice mentioned that the “challenge of the process lies in not having too much acidity. The balance is to work the reserve wines and blend”. And balanced it was. Breathtaking aromas of citrus and minerality, a dry, fruit-filled palate profile, and a lingering finish were notable from the first whiff to the last sip.

Our final wine, Champagne Bruno Paillard N.P.U 2002 was truly (in Alice’s words and I daresay, mine as well) “liquid gold”. Bright and layered with oxidative qualities that were rich and complex, the Champagne was completely barrel fermented and in the bottle for sixteen years. N.P.U. is an acronym for Nec Plus Ultra indicating “the very best”, “the pinnacle”, “the ultimate”. Yes, this was a stunning wine.

From the beginning, Bruno Paillard has embraced the mission to create a Champagne different from others, one that is “extremely pure”. He has admitted that a “great Champagne is, above all, the blending of diverse crus, grape varieties and vintages. It is about the constant desire to capture the quintessential finesse and elegance which Champagne can bring when it is served with love and care”. Alice Paillard couldn’t agree more with her father. As she remarked more than once during our conversation, “A complete and harmonious blend is what we strive for every day”.

Cheers! ~ Cindy