Millésimé Blanc de Blancs 2006

Made with only Chardonnay from the best Cote des Blanc villages with 60% of the grapes from the Grand Cru villages of Le Mesnil and Oger and the rest from Cramant, Avize and Chouilly with a small addition from the Premier Cru village of Vertus that gave the wine a further verve of intensity. After sitting eight years on the lees, the wine was disgorged in April 2015 when a brut dosage of 5g/l was added as it is to all Paillard Champagnes. The Champagne then ‘convalesced’ for a year before being sent to market. The bouquet is fascinating and seductive with the fullness of the citrus wrapped in notes of hazelnut, candied peel, strawflower and a tad of iodine. The mouthfeel is meaty and deep, rounded by the maturity level of the year but with a verve of freshness and subtlety that only the Grand Cru of the Cotes des Blancs have. Although this Champagne is a little outside the ‘Paillard style’, it has a nice harmony with a whispered yet evident dynamic thrust and a finish with a clean grip.

About it