Sparkling Wine
Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee Champagne, France
$59.99 USD
Winemaker Notes
A straw gold color and very fine bubbles. Its delicate hue comes from to the use of a high percentage of Chardonnay and of the first pressing only. The first aromas reveal the citrus character of the Chardonnay, such as lime and grapefruits. Red fruit aromas then come out, including redcurrant, raspberry, morello cherry - typical Pinot Noir. On leaving the wine to open up, candied fruits, even exotic fruits of Pinot Meunier appear with aromas of banana and pineapple. The palate is lively. The nose is confirmed by the first taste, including citrus, almonds, toasted bread and "brioche"... but also redcurrant jelly, and dark fruits like cherry, fig or blackberry. The palate is full, quite long, with a very clean finish. Elegant, but not without complexity, this wine perfectly illustrates what is "the house style."
The Premiere Cuvee champagne is an excellent aperitif. It matches divinely with cheese (Brie de Meaux, Camembert, aged salers), poultry and shellfish.
Blend: 45% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay, 22% Pinot Meunier
Press
Rated 93 Points The Somm Journal
Talk about balance: Clean and streamlined yet lively and zesty, this pinpricked bubbly’s got it. Yeasty aromas quickly make room for scents of tarte tatin, almond, and ripe Bosc pear, the latter of which carries over to the palate amid the ribbons of lemon zest and oyster-shell minerality that define the finish.
Rated 92 Points Decanter
A whiff of flint precedes fresh lemon notes that pervade the entire wine with vivid freshness. The palate is taut and bright, with a rather salty, iodine savoriness. Lovely depth from the great proportion of reserve wines. The finish is brisk, with citrus and umami.
Rated 91 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The NV Brut Première Cuvée (Disgorged 07/2016) has a bright straw-gold color. The blend of Pinot Noir (45%), Chardonnay (33%) and Pinot Meunier (22%) opens with a clear, fresh and open, very elegant and generous bouquet of bright, ripe fruits (melons, lemons) with beautiful chalk, brioche and toast flavors as well as emerging notes of sweet cherries and wild strawberries. Nice purity. This is a highly elegant, fresh, textured and tightly woven but very well balanced cuvée with lovely purity and a persistently salty, citrus-fresh and cleansing finish with good grip. This is an extraordinary effort.
Rated 91 Points James Suckling
An attractive, fresh mix of citrus and peach fruits here. The gently spicy, biscuity complexity sits amid nicely played autolysis characters that make this fresh and lively. The palate has plenty of bright and sweet-peach and melon-fruit flavors. It's really easygoing, in fact, displaying generous punchy flavors and zesty acid crunch that holds it all together.
Rated 90 Points Wine Spectator
This lively version offers bright, citrusy acidity, with flavors of nectarine, toasted almond and lemon curd, layered with a streak of smoky mineral. Crunchy finish. Disgorged March 2015. Drink now through 2019.
Rated 90 Points Wine & Spirits
This blends pinot noir (45 percent), meunier (22 percent) and chardonnay, creating a round and generous Champagne with a ghosting of red fruit. Those flavors of red apples and strawberries are cut by the wine’s mineral acidity, then they open up again in the finish, lasting on chalk, nuts and crisp fresh fruit.
A straw gold color and very fine bubbles. Its delicate hue comes from to the use of a high percentage of Chardonnay and of the first pressing only. The first aromas reveal the citrus character of the Chardonnay, such as lime and grapefruits. Red fruit aromas then come out, including redcurrant, raspberry, morello cherry - typical Pinot Noir. On leaving the wine to open up, candied fruits, even exotic fruits of Pinot Meunier appear with aromas of banana and pineapple. The palate is lively. The nose is confirmed by the first taste, including citrus, almonds, toasted bread and "brioche"... but also redcurrant jelly, and dark fruits like cherry, fig or blackberry. The palate is full, quite long, with a very clean finish. Elegant, but not without complexity, this wine perfectly illustrates what is "the house style."
The Premiere Cuvee champagne is an excellent aperitif. It matches divinely with cheese (Brie de Meaux, Camembert, aged salers), poultry and shellfish.
Blend: 45% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay, 22% Pinot Meunier
Press
Rated 93 Points The Somm Journal
Talk about balance: Clean and streamlined yet lively and zesty, this pinpricked bubbly’s got it. Yeasty aromas quickly make room for scents of tarte tatin, almond, and ripe Bosc pear, the latter of which carries over to the palate amid the ribbons of lemon zest and oyster-shell minerality that define the finish.
Rated 92 Points Decanter
A whiff of flint precedes fresh lemon notes that pervade the entire wine with vivid freshness. The palate is taut and bright, with a rather salty, iodine savoriness. Lovely depth from the great proportion of reserve wines. The finish is brisk, with citrus and umami.
Rated 91 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The NV Brut Première Cuvée (Disgorged 07/2016) has a bright straw-gold color. The blend of Pinot Noir (45%), Chardonnay (33%) and Pinot Meunier (22%) opens with a clear, fresh and open, very elegant and generous bouquet of bright, ripe fruits (melons, lemons) with beautiful chalk, brioche and toast flavors as well as emerging notes of sweet cherries and wild strawberries. Nice purity. This is a highly elegant, fresh, textured and tightly woven but very well balanced cuvée with lovely purity and a persistently salty, citrus-fresh and cleansing finish with good grip. This is an extraordinary effort.
Rated 91 Points James Suckling
An attractive, fresh mix of citrus and peach fruits here. The gently spicy, biscuity complexity sits amid nicely played autolysis characters that make this fresh and lively. The palate has plenty of bright and sweet-peach and melon-fruit flavors. It's really easygoing, in fact, displaying generous punchy flavors and zesty acid crunch that holds it all together.
Rated 90 Points Wine Spectator
This lively version offers bright, citrusy acidity, with flavors of nectarine, toasted almond and lemon curd, layered with a streak of smoky mineral. Crunchy finish. Disgorged March 2015. Drink now through 2019.
Rated 90 Points Wine & Spirits
This blends pinot noir (45 percent), meunier (22 percent) and chardonnay, creating a round and generous Champagne with a ghosting of red fruit. Those flavors of red apples and strawberries are cut by the wine’s mineral acidity, then they open up again in the finish, lasting on chalk, nuts and crisp fresh fruit.