Pierre Paillard, La Grande Recolte 2012

La Grande Récolte (the great harvest) by Pierre Paillard is a vintage couvee made from a coupage of the Chardonnay andPinot Noir varieties from the Grand Cru Bouzy plots. It ages for ten years in the winery’s cool and calcareous cellars, which gives it time to fully develop its aromas and balance. This is a product of one of the best vintages of recent decades.

The Pierre Paillard La Grande Récolte Grand Cru Bouzy 2008 Champagne has a minimum amount of dosage in order to preserve the balance between its finesse, freshness and complexity.

This is a gem of an estate of just 11 hectares, unusually blessed with having uniquely Grand Cru vineyards in the famed village of Bouzy. Nestled on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims, this village, along with neighbouring Ambonnay, is famed for producing some of the region’s most intense, profound and exceptional Pinot Noir. If you enjoy the statuesque wines of Egly-Ouriet, you will know what these chalky slopes can produce… The Paillards have been crafting wine in Grand Cru village of Bouzy for over 200 years, yet it is only in recent years that the estate has begun to fulfil its true potential. Brothers Antoine and Quentin returned to the Domaine in 2008, before taking full control in 2012. Bringing energy, an outward looking sensibility and a deep respect for their fantastic vineyards, the brothers have rejuvenated the estate to such a degree that it now stands as one of the finest family houses in all of Champagne. Being Bouzy, their holdings are dominated by Pinot Noir, most of which is either their own selection massale or Burgundian Pinot Fin and of an impressive age. Soil health is seen as paramount and as a result only organic composts and treatments are employed. Fermentations are spontaneous, malos never blocked, and the wines are never chaptalized or cold stabilised – this is the sort of hands-off winemaking that is only made possible by exceptional fruit and very attentive farming.