Pierre Paillard

“The wines are quintessentially representative of Bouzy terroir, combining a rich ripeness with chalky finesse, and they are some of the best Champagnes being made in the village today”
— Peter Liem

HISTORY

• Champagne Pierre Paillard settled in Bouzy in the beginning of the 18th century
• The family was originally comprised of shepherds and schoolmasters
• Antoine Paillard acquired several parcels of vines in Bouzy, becoming a viticulturist and starting the family’s tradition in vine-growing
• The current heads of the domaine, brothers Antoine and Quentin Paillard, are the 8th generation of the family and took over in 2018 from their father

FARMING PRACTICES

• Certified organic
• Cover crop employed to prevent soil erosion and promote a healthy microbiome
• Massal selection in the vineyards
• Small crates used for harvest

KEY VINEYARD POINTS

• Most of the vines are in the historic village of Bouzy Grand Cru
  • Alongside Ambonnay, considered to be home to some of the finest Pinot Noir in all of Champagne
  • A famed village known for growing exceptional Pinot Noir from the fully south-facing slopes on a chalk bedrock
  • The mix of south facing sites and lots of chalk close to the surface makes for incredibly complex and exhilarating Pinot Noir based Champagnes
• Very old vines, massal section, across their domaine, with an average age of 60 years old

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY

• Grapes are harvest and ripe and balanced
• They use a horizontal Coquard PAI press
• All of the wines are made in the exact same way
  • Barrel fermentation and aging on the entire range
  • Ambient yeast are used for fermentation
  • Malo is allowed to go through
  • All wines are unfined and unfiltered
• All the higher-level wines are aged under cork (Tiré liège)
• The brothers Paillard craft some of the most texturally complex wines in all of Champagne. These are vinous beauties that rank among the very best in the region