93 pts Decanter
A fascinating Chardonnay that is very much of the Montagne de Reims with its sunny, orange fruit profile. There’s a touch of heat here, almost papaya-tropical fruit with orange cream, grilled almond and a touch sweet floral aromatics, complemented by toasted bread and vanilla spicing. Bold. 100% oak vinified. (TH)

A single vineyard champagne made from old vines massal selection Chardonnay planted in 1961 and offers a full-bodied, rich but pure expression of chardonnay grown on the warm South facing slope of Bouzy.

“Chardonnay can thrive in Bouzy too, making wines of great personality, although in general it prefers vintages without excessive heat. Old vines, such as those planted in 1961 in Les Mottelettes, can produce mouthfilling, vividly chalk-driven wines, while offering an entirely different expression than the chardonnays of the Cte des Blancs.” –Peter Liem

RARELY do you ever find red grapes in white grape terroir in Champagne (Pinot in the Cotes des Blancs for example), BUT more often than not you can find chardonnay in red grape territory as CHALK is VERY prevalent no matter where you are in Champagne.

“Chardonnay can thrive in Bouzy too, making wines of great personality, although in general it prefers vintages without excessive heat. Old vines, such as those planted in 1961 in Les Mottelettes, can produce mouthfilling, vividly chalk-driven wines, while offering an entirely different expression than the chardonnays of the Cte des Blancs.” –Peter Liem

Dosage:3 g/L
100% Chardonnay. Aged in oak, bottled under cork for the second fermentation and spent 4 years on lees before disgorgement.

TERROIR
Bouzy is one of the 17 villages in the Champagne region that has been classified as Grand Cru, the highest classification that can be awarded. Its situation on the southfacing side of the Montagne de Reims lie on a bedrock of hard chalk, but the depth of topsoils vary. Some parcels have a mere 20 inches of topsoil, yet there is a large vein of sedimentary soil up to 10 feet deep that runs through the center of the village. These areas of deeper soil are ideal for the difficult to ripen Pinot Noir grape.

VITICULTURE
The Paillard estate is divided into 28 parcels over 11 hectares, planted entirely in the Grand Cru of Bouzy. The average age of the estates vineyards is about 29 years, with the oldest parcels dating from 1956. Starting in 2012, the brothers have focused on a massive replanting of selection massale Pinot Noir from their oldest parcel, Les Maillerettes. Today 80% of their vineyards are planted to Pinot Noir, which for them is synonymous with the village of Bouzy with its south facing slopes that produces rich and aromatic pinot noir. They have farmed organically since 2012 but only became certified in 2020 – believing you have to go further. All parcels have been planted with cover crops for the last ten to fifteen years and synthetic treatments, such as those used against mildew, are kept to an absolute minimum.

VINIFICATION
For the vinification, each plot is harvested and now, vinified separately in oak. Fermentation is carried out at lower temperatures to retain the aromatics and the wines are kept in barrel on their fine lees until the early summer. Then starts a long process of tasting and blending. This is a unique moment shared only by the winemakers of the House (Benot, Antoine and Quentin). Each plot is tasted, marked and commented upon until each person has a perfect feel for the profile of the year. Tests and blind tastings continue until the final choice: The creation of each cuve. They bottle in June/July to maximize the influence of the oak and because they rely on native yeast fermentation and natural malolactic fermentation that takes time so they dont want to rush the fermentation. After bottled for the second fermentation and kept in their 19th century cellars for a minimum of 3 years and as much as 10 years before being disgorged. Parcelles and Terre de Ros are aged under crown cap and all the single vineyard wines (aged for a minimum of 5 years sur latte) are under cork.