Highlights: Champagne Pierre Paillard Les Parcelles 15 Grand Cru Bouzy Extra Brut NV

Very impressed with this Pinot Noir-dominated Champagne from Antoine and Quentin Paillard. This Cuvée is made from 22 individually vinified parcels in Bouzy, farmed organically. Wild ferment, and the blend is 70% 2015 vintage with 30% reserve wines. It’s brilliant value for money, too, given the quality.

Champagne Pierre Paillard Les Parcelles 15 Grand Cru Bouzy Extra Brut NV France
12.5% alcohol. This is based on the 2015 vintage, and it’s from the Grand Cru village of Bouzy in the Montagne des Reims. 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, disgorged in October 2019, with a dosage of 1.8 g/litre. This is a really lovely wine, with a lovely fruit quality. It starts off with mandarin and lemons, then there’s a lovely midpalate of pear, apple and cherry, with some texture and ripeness, but it’s reined in beautifully by keen acidity and a spicy flourish on the finish. This may be low dosage, but there’s a real fruitiness and it offsets the acidity really nicely. Power, concentration, ripe fruit and balance are the hallmarks here. Has a long finish: quite beautiful. 94/100 (£35.44 Justerini & Brooks)

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