bruno paillard tour

Champagne Bruno Paillard

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travelers

Champagne Bruno Paillard - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

(1.25 mi) Akena City Reims Bezannes
(1.42 mi) Domaine Les Crayères
(1.91 mi) Best Western Premier Hotel De La Paix
(1.87 mi) L'Assiette Champenoise
(1.73 mi) La Demeure des Sacres
(0.34 mi) Chicken Best
(1.26 mi) Il gusto
(1.89 mi) L'Atelier
(1.30 mi) Shiva Restaurant Indien
(1.92 mi) Le Condorcet

Request new password
Tasting reviews
The sommelleries

The magazine

Download Magazine

Search form

You are here, maison bruno paillard : bruno paillard, the champagne expert.

Winegrowers’ portraits Reims

Bruno Paillard, the champagne expert

Bruno Paillard tasting in his office the clear wines from his vineyard.

Champagne Bruno Paillard

Avenue de Champagne 51100 Reims Tél. : +33(0)3 26 36 20 22

www.champagnebrunopaillard.com

Portraits of winegrowers

Château Belmar

Château Belmar is run by a man and a woman who set themselves a crazy challenge: producing wine in the northern Sarthe region.

Champagne Philipponnat

Gérard Bertrand, the South at its best

During the harvest, we discovered some of Gérard Bertrand's properties. This is definitely a real eye-opener for the identity and personality of the wines!

Join us on Facebook

Partenaire Silver

© 2020 - Sommeliers International

Mentions légales

A series of champagnes from Bruno Paillard

Author: Ulf Bengtsson
January 20, 2013

Share / Like:

Article filed in: Features » Tastings » A series of champagnes from Bruno Paillard

Bruno Paillard was recently in Stockholm for a tasting of his champagnes, organised by the wine importer Tryffelsvinet. Exciting wines, some unusual ones, and some absolutely delicious. BKWine’s Ulf Bengtsson reports on the champagnes.

The wine importer Tryffelsvinet (The Truffles Pig) invited us to a tasting of a range of champagnes from Bruno Paillard, led by Bruno himself. Very nice! I really appreciate the opportunity to meet and talk to the winemaker himself. It drastically lessens the distances in the triangle wine geek-terroir-winemaker . But let’s start with some wine!

The tasting began with three versions of the “standard” champagne from Bruno Paillard, the Brut Première Cuvée, disgorged in 2011, 2006, and 2002. But “standard” is perhaps the wrong word.

Bruno asked if we had any idea why most champagnes are named after a person instead of being named after a vineyard, as is the case in most other parts of the world. Pommery, Bollinger, Krug…?

A poetic way of putting it is that in Champagne what counts is a certain person’s interpretation of the terroir.

Ready to taste Bruno Paillard champagnes

Different people have made different blends and they have lived on and kept their styles. Different winemakers have created different champagnes according to his own ideas. And it was this desire to make “his own” blend that was the spark that made Bruno Paillard create his own champagne house, Maison Bruno Paillard.

Paillard sold his collection automobile, a Jaguar if you want to know, to get enough starting capital. Thus, in 1983 he was in business. Initially he bought grapes for his champagnes but as the business grew he also bought his own vineyards.

That’s that. Back to the present.

On the 2012 vintage Bruno has nothing but trouble to tell: frost, difficulties at flowering, hail damage, oidium and then, as icing on the cake, mildiou. But in the end the weather turned drier and what grapes remained may well make for a quite good vintage.

Now to the wines:

Brut Première Cuvée Dégorgement 2011: it is very light in colour with initial hints of apple, fresh apples but also softer winter apples. Very minerally. Good push in the acidity, delicious wine (349 SEK, ~35€)

Brut Première Cuvée Dégorgement 2006: essentially the same colour but the character has a lot more maturity. More ripe and soft apples, some cheese (brie), flint. More of everything actually! When I come back to it later it has developed some hints of port wine.

Brut Première Cuvée Dégorgement 2002: Curiously the apples have gone missing here. Instead there are more green edgy characters. More notes of barrel aging too.

Three very interesting champagnes with a good acidity and complexity in the character. The Brut Première Cuvée is made from 45% pinot noir, 33% chardonnay and 22% pinot meunier. Overall very appley in style with a nice fresh acidity. A very positive surprise for me, the non-vintage champagne from Bruno Paillard.

Rosé Première Cuvée Dégorgement 2012 : It charms us all. Totally. The colour is copper and the wine talks about citrus, oranges… This is what a rosé champagne should be. Very refreshing, playful, naughty. Absolutely delicious!

We end the tasting with two of Paillard’s vintage champagnes: 2002 Brut Assemblage and 1999 Blanc de Blancs . The 2002 was degorged in July 2011 and the 1999 the same year.

First the 2002 Brut Assemblage: the colour is light, it has some spices on the nose, very fresh acidity. I find hints of orange candied marmalade, interesting! It is a delicious wine, very balance and fresh. Elegant and with a lot of personality.

The 1999 Blanc de Blancs was also a very solid build but did not reach the same heights as the 2002 Brut Assemblage. It is more ripe, almost a bit closed, marzipan, wax and a hint of bitterness. Very nice, yes, but overshadowed by some of the other wines on the table.

In conclusion it was a very pleasant afternoon that taught me a lot. A big thank you to the organisers and to Bruno Paillard.

3 Responses

Pingback: BKWine Brief nr 113, January 2013 | BKWine Magazine
Pingback: We taste a range of champagnes from Bruno Paillard, to our satisfaction | BKWine Magazine
Pingback: Making the best blend every year: Jacquesson Champagnes | BKWine Magazine

The mini-champagne fair with the small producers and the big champagnes

Pascal and Sandrine Lejeune of Champagne Pascal Lejeune pouring in the cellar

Champagne Pascal Lejeune’s path to the Swedish market

Steep chardonnay vineyards in Vertus, historically labelled "premier cru", in the Côte des Blancs, Champagne

Choose an exciting champagne from a grower instead, for a greater experience – a selection

Explore more from BKWine:

Our Wine Tours

“World’s Top Wine Tours” and many other accolades. We will take you to meet the winemakers and explore the wine regions like no other wine tours. For the true wine lover.

We have written ten books on wine. They have won many national and international awards, from the Gourmand International and OIV-International Organisation of Vine and Wine and others.

Vineyards at Felton Road Wines in Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand

Search bkwine.com with Google Site Search (click here)

Newsletter:

Get our free monthly newsletter, the BKWine Brief and join 25,000 other wine and travel enthusiasts.

Connect with us:

Connect with us on social networks.

All our sites:

BKWine Magazine
BKWine Tours
BKWine Vinresor
BKWine Photography

About BKWine

Text and images may not be used without our permission. More info on copyright.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER!

25,000 subscribers get wine news every month. You too?

JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser.

We use cookies to make your experience better. To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. Learn more .

Create an Account

Orders Over £250 Free Standard Delivery*

Need help? Call us 0333 358 5888

Champagne Brands
Bruno Paillard

BRUNO PAILLARD

Bruno paillard champagne.

Bruno Paillard is available at The Champagne Company and is a Champagne producer based in Reims in the Champagne region. The house was founded in 1981 by Bruno Paillard, after he had worked as a broker in the region since 1975. The Bruno Paillard Champagne house sprang from its founder’s desire to create a champagne different from any other 'extremely pure'.

A great champagne for Bruno Paillard's style is an “assemblage”or a blending of diverse crus, grape varieties and vintages. It is about the constant desire to capture the quintessential finesse and elegance.

Top 8 Most Popular Bruno Paillard Products

INTERVIEW: Alice Paillard takes us into the world of Champagne Bruno Paillard

As one of the few completely independent Champagne houses, the Bruno Paillard House uses rigorous working methods that have made and still make its reputation.

Despite a limited production volume, the House follows in the tradition of the great Champagne families, whose quality and exclusivity have made their legacy.

Alice Paillard, co-owner and director of the Bruno Paillard House, is fully in line with the family heritage, putting consistency at the forefront – from grape to sale, passion and craftsmanship are at the heart of the process.

Icon-Icon opens the doors to this historic and iconic Champagne House.

Alice Paillard, in an exclusive interview, tells us about the emblematic values and characteristics of this beautiful House.

To recontextualise for our readers, could you go back over the history of the Maison Bruno Paillard?

The Paillard family is a very old family from the Champagne region whose first written records date back to 1704. It is a line of winegrowers and champagne merchants, but our House – Bruno Paillard – was founded by my father, who chose to write his own personal adventure. It is thus a rather young house in the Champagne landscape, but with deep roots in its culture and savoir-faire.

His ambition has never been size or volume, but rather to produce wines that strongly express their origin, by making a very precise choice: that of the chalk terroirs.

Although the Champagne region is not very large – 33,000 hectares – it is very spread out, which leads to great diversity of terroirs and microclimates. In this sense, Champagne also runs on more clayey, sandy soils, mixtures of chalk and clay.

Our choice and our bias have been to work on this chalk terroir and to give this expression in the glass. To achieve this result, we have to be very selective and adopt a practice of vine cultivation that encourages the depth of root development rather than the quantity of fruit – the development of microbiological vine soils allowing the right exchange between the vine and its terroir, rather than the easy use of weed killers and chemicals.

In the cellar, there is a requirement for continuity of this work since the objective is to obtain a wine that is as pure as possible. The wines of the House have a certain freshness because we only keep the first press, the very first part of the juice. We only produce extra-brut. To do this, you have to give the wine time because if it doesn’t reveal itself, it will be hard.

It is not necessarily the easiest champagne to understand, nor the best known or the most accessible, because by working in this way, we are dealing with enthusiasts, prescribers, sommeliers, wine merchants, who love the product and share it.

It is often said that there is not a single bottle of Bruno Paillard Champagne in the world that is sold by chance. On the contrary, it is always sold because a wine lover has advised another to discover it.

We are therefore an independent family business, making wines that are faithful to its chalky terroir – only extra-brut with long ageing, a perpetual reserve, and working methods that allow us to develop depth in the wines and express their origin.

When we taste wines of a certain age, we systematically notice that the older the wine gets, the more we sense the origin of the terroir. It’s as if when the wine is young, there is a lot of aromatics, a lot of flesh, and then, as time goes by, the wine is essentialized to leave only this backbone of the terroir. Everything happens as if in the youth, there was a lot of aromatics, a lot of flesh and then, as time goes by, the wine becomes essentialized to leave only this backbone of the terroir.

What are the values of Maison Paillard and its specificity?

Its values are not necessarily decreed, we pay particular attention to consistency and authenticity in our wines.

I think that the notion of coherence is central, as in everything related to luxury. In the process, if one element changes, everything has to adapt because everything is linked and everything is important. This goes from the choice of the plot, to the cultural practice, to the date of harvest, to the method of vinification and the duration of maturation.

It is a form of requirement similar to that of a gastronomic restaurant – in a different temporality – since there is a notion of concentration, but in a very limited time. For champagne, everything is important but over a long period of time: when a vine is planted, it is for 60 years and the work on a cuvée is done over a minimum of 4, 5 or 6 years.

The great Champagne Houses are often a family affair and yours seems to be no exception, were you always destined to take over the family business?

It’s true that it’s often been the case, but there have also been many family homes that have sold. My father grew up in the 50s and 60s, I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and we both saw a lot of family houses being sold. Fortunately, this is not a general rule.

However, it is not necessarily better to be a family house. We were talking earlier about working over the long term and indeed, in our profession, we have to look at the very long term. That being said, if the shareholder is there for the very long term, there are no problems.

On the other hand, if the shareholder is there because he is used to producing spirits or watches which are much faster to produce, then it is not the same attitude at all.

In family stories, we are rarely alone. In my case, I have brothers and sisters, so it is done at their own pace. As far as I am concerned, I needed time. I can’t say that at fifteen I wanted to do this. I wanted to go around the world and that’s what I did! So I left when I was fifteen and came back ten years later with a lot of joy and pleasure. I was lucky enough to be able to leave and choose to come back, which I think is a real luxury.

There are many different stories of transmission. I belong to an association, La transmission Femmes en Champagne , made up of nine women managers in Champagne, which was created to talk about the great diversity of Champagne.

This diversity is expressed firstly in the location of the sites – in the north as well as in the south, in the east as well as in the west. Secondly, in the size of the plots – very small, medium and very large. And finally, there is a great diversity in the generations: there are women of my generation as well as women who are about to pass on and leave the business. In this association, I notice that there are stories of farm transfers that are much more eventful than others. Life, hard knocks, accidents are all part of it.

In our case, we have been very lucky, we have had time and peace of mind. I arrived in 2007 and only took over the management in 2018. I first worked in the vineyards, then in the cellar, and finally in the commercial part. We have an exciting and very diverse job. There are a lot of different subjects so it sometimes takes a little time to get used to it all.

The champagne business has often been considered as a very masculine environment. Do you think that being a young woman can breathe new life into this profession?

That is for sure. However, it is difficult to distinguish between what comes from being a woman and what comes from being of another generation.

It is obvious that the management between my father and me is not the same, but I think that there is mainly a part that is linked to a generational gap.

I think that in everything, the balance is good. Parity is a very good goal. But in the end, there are teams where there are too many women and not enough men – and vice versa.

So we have to try to find a balance everywhere because we need to bring things to each other. I’m convinced that we all – men and women – have feminine and masculine in us. It’s funny because even for a woman in a management position, the question is to accept her feminine side as well. Sometimes we tend to put it aside because the previous examples were often male.

Nothing can be taken for granted. But I think that for the company it’s a real opportunity, it allows us to complete our vision and to have a wider view of the company in its environment.

Historically, in Champagne, more than in Burgundy or elsewhere, there have been many women. They were mainly present for reasons that were, unfortunately, a bit dramatic – they were there as a last resort when something went wrong. This is no longer the case: in most farms, women are in charge.

However, there are big cultural differences between the professions. It is not always the same reality between the winegrower who prunes the vines, where the place of women is a little more difficult, and the champagne house where there are many different jobs and therefore, by definition, a lot of diversity.

I also see it in farms where there are still three generations working together.

Among the generations who are still there and who were born in the 30s and 40s, there are also strong female heads.

What do you think is the most iconic champagne of the Bruno Paillard House?

I will talk about Nec Plus Ultra which can be translated from Latin as “there is nothing beyond”, not because it is the best wine in the world, but because we were talking earlier about consistency and continuity in the making of a wine, both of which are a common thread.

For this wine, these words are our common thread: we have to go as far as we can with each decision. In my opinion, it is indeed an iconic wine, not because it is very rare – it has only been produced eight times – but because it will be iconic, at least on its scale. It’s a wine that has been conceived for the next generation, or even the next two generations.

It was born from a very strong emotion that my father had the chance to have while tasting. The First World War did indeed cause a lot of damage in Champagne and many private and professional cellars were walled up to protect the stocks.

As a result, very regularly during the last century, people found cellars and very old wines. That’s how my father had the opportunity to taste a wine that was over a century old. He was shocked by this and thought that we too should leave a trace for the following generations, an idea of what a great champagne can be. This wine is therefore a wine of transmission.

It is only made with certain years since it has only been produced eight times. It is only made with the greatest terroirs, the greatest vintages of the Champagne region and with a particular vinification: a small old oak barrel which allows it to be modelled very delicately, to get used to the action of oxygen in a homeopathic and progressive way. It grows with this, it is very accustomed to it and is not disturbed as other wines can be afterwards.

There is a minimum of 10 years of autolysis – bottle ageing – which gives it an extraordinary complexity, an extra raw dosage, as always at Maison Paillard.

We wait a minimum of 12 years to start presenting the Nec Plus Ultra. It will therefore have 100 years of life ahead of it: that’s its emblematic side.

Currently, it is a 2008 that is presented.

What is its ideal context for tasting? A place, a landscape, a moment, a dish?

First of all, the company, because these are wines of conversation – you need two or three, maximum four. They are wines of intimacy, of confidentiality. You need to have time, not to be in a hurry because this kind of bottle is not necessarily for the most enlightened person or the one with the biggest wallet. On the contrary, it will speak to the person who takes the time, the one who shows patience. This reveals a form of respect for the bottle. The company is therefore essential because you have to want to share this wine.

The second thing is the glass. We conducted a tasting of eight different types of glass before choosing the one that suited us to present the Nec Plus Ultra. You need a high enough chimney for the aromas to be fine and a ratio between the rim and the shoulder that is sufficiently contrasted so that the wine can open up while remaining concentrated towards the nose. It is also important that the rim is not too wide so that the wine reaches the beginning of the palate and not the end. You need a glass that can aerate the wine without losing its aromas. In a huge Bordeaux glass, the wine will be lost. The ideal glass is simply a beautiful Burgundy glass.

So we chose a glass that is a piqué because we like the effervescence to be able to work, even if it is obviously rather calm with a wine of this age and this ageing. It’s not a thundering effervescence.

In addition to the company and the glass, the temperature is also very important. The wine should not be too cold, but not too hot either, because it will probably be left in the glass for a long time. As time goes by, it will warm up.

It is good to start at 8°c so that it rises quickly enough to 10, 12, 15°c. A Nec Plus Ultra can easily stay 20 minutes in the glass before being drunk. That’s why it’s not necessarily easy to drink it as an aperitif: at that moment, we’re not at all in the right frame of mind to taste it properly because we generally want to drink it a little faster.

On the other hand, it is a powerful wine, so it is difficult to serve something else afterwards. It is almost an after-dinner wine. It can of course be enjoyed at the table, and we’ve made some wonderful food and wine pairings because it’s a wine that has a lot of presence, so it can be a very good companion.

Personally, I like to open it after dinner, on its own because it is very complete, it can bring something to the plate but it does not necessarily need a plate.

If Bruno Paillard Champagne is not necessarily the most accessible to drink, what would be its signature taste?

There is always a fairly precise attack when the wine arrives on the palate. There is always a fairly precise attack when the wine arrives on the palate. It has a very fresh, precise, clean side, a great length, a salinity – it has a saline side at the end of the mouth linked to the direct connection to our chalk terroir – and we always find this in our wines.

We also find this attack in the rosé . We talk about the première cuvée extra-brut, the première cuvée extra-brut rosé. Consumers are often surprised to find this in a rosé, they expect to have something very round, very soft, very smooth. And this is not at all the case with us: there is fruit, of course, but above all there is a lot of salinity.

Who is the clientele for your very special champagnes?

75% are exported and 25% in France. These are always the same customer profiles, i.e. sommeliers, wine merchants, prescribers, specialists. Obviously, this also means the big hotels, where there is a sommelier.

Either people don’t know us, or they are lovers of great wines and therefore know us from such and such a table or hotel where they have been – the Maison Bruno Paillard is present in 50 countries.

So people can discover us on trips to the Maldives, New York or even Tokyo.

Each vintage is also the occasion for a collaboration with an artist . For you, do Champagne and Art go hand in hand?

Yes, completely. In both fields, there is the notion of creation.

That’s what’s quite extraordinary: when you look at a bottle of champagne – it’s so common that maybe people have forgotten it – but the name you see inscribed is not the name of a place or the marketing name of an invented estate, it’s always the name of a person.

It is a person who, at a given moment, has created a blend, a composition.

It’s interesting because in wine, we often talk about terroir and terroir by definition is three things combined: a soil, a climate and people. Often, this last element tends to be forgotten in the equation.

In my opinion, the three make up a whole: the terroir needs Man and Man needs the terroir. In any Champagne that has a qualitative ambition, we find this dimension of man’s creation. The most important thing is to make choices, to know what to leave out, what to include, what to blend or not.

Obviously, art is very subjective, we can’t hope to speak to everyone, but through the intervention of artists on the bottle, we offer everyone the possibility of having an instant initial reaction. Positive or negative, evoking this rather than that, it’s something we can’t control and fortunately we can’t.

The collaboration with an artist represents a form of letting go because we choose a theme. The theme characterises the year, the wine, and then we choose the artist, giving them only the format. For the rest, the artists have carte blanche. Sometimes they would like us to intervene but we refuse because we want them to keep their universe.

For us, art is a question of intuition, it is that border between the real and the unreal, a junction between the two. The artist will sense something, that’s his role, that’s the side we don’t see.

At the beginning of 2022 you presented the new packaging of your Champagnes. Could you tell us more about these new features?

It was a long-standing desire. The packaging has evolved little by little over 40 years, but it allows us to keep a certain timelessness. For me, this is essential because we make wines that are meant to last over time, that are not meant to respond to fashions or market segments.

Aesthetically, the new packaging reveals a form of sobriety but also a form of beauty. This translates into a beautiful paper where our vineyard is highlighted in a discreet way – it’s not printed or inked on the paper, but an imprint that is pressed into the paper of the label. So we keep a certain clarity – because it’s true that we have a fairly long name and we needed it to be more readable than it was before – but at the same time we add a certain depth.

I also took the opportunity to include some technical information that our customers really appreciate. We talk about our cultural practices, our perpetual reserve, which is a rather extraordinary and very important element in the balance of our wines. To my knowledge, our reserve is the oldest in Champagne. And that’s the paradox: we are one of the most recent houses, but my father very quickly started what is called “perpetual reserve”, a very specific way of keeping reserve wines for blending. That’s why in our wines, you always have a few drops of 1985, 1986. This is all on the back label. We had always given a lot of information about the wines but on the files and not directly on the labels.

This new packaging was made for the 40th anniversary of the House, it was an opportunity to link the bottle with the House as it is today because it has evolved a lot between the time my father founded it and its contemporary reality. Basically, the research is the same, but in the meantime, it has acquired vineyards and today, more than half of our grapes come from our own vines, our own teams, our own culture. It is this slightly more cultural imprint that I wanted to put on this label.

In conclusion, what should we remember about Bruno Paillard?

The beauty of this profession. There is both the humbling nature and the incredible importance of the hand. This is my message because I think that Man is very much devalued at the moment.

Over the years, we have increased our vineyard. These are always plots of land that we have acquired, that we did not have beforehand and that we have therefore got to know.

We have always bought them, not in relation to the way they had been worked, but in relation to the potential that we imagined when we used to convert them to a cultivation practice without weedkillers, without chemicals, without insecticides.

When I say that Man has an extraordinary place to play, it is because I have seen it, we have done it, we continue to do it and I am certain that we can leave a beautiful land for the future.

Interview by Sébastien Girard and Saskia Blanc

Bruno Paillard: from Champagne broker to established Maison

Post author: wordonthegrapevine
Post published: 10th May 2020
Post category: Profiles
Post comments: 1 Comment

1981 was a fairly average year in Champagne. Harvest was small and the wines were somewhat thin and austere. Following World War II, both the popularity and sales of Champagne had once again surged. Despite this, the region had not seen a new house for over 100 years. Bruno Paillard had been working as a broker since 1975, his lineage of brokers and growers in the villages of Bouzy and Verzenay dating back to 1704. Champagne run thick in Bruno’s blood and during his time as a broker he acquired a deep and extensive knowledge. At just 27 years old, without a penny to his name, Bruno sold his vintage Jaguar for 50,000 francs to satisfy his burning desire. A desire to create a different Champagne. Almost 40 years later, he and his daughter Alice direct one of the most prestigious houses in Champagne. I spoke with Alice about beginnings, relationships, challenges and the future.

Bruno was born in Reims in 1953. Since 1704 his family had been growers and brokers in the Grand Cru villages of Bouzy and Verzenay . Following in the family footsteps, he begun work as a broker in 1975. After just six short years, Bruno could keep his desires at bay no longer. In 1981, armed with nothing but a sense of determination, he sold his Jaguar, a collector’s item, to fuel his dream and open the first new Champagne house for close to 100 years. This might have seemed like a moment of madness in a region characterised very much by conservatism.

His first wines were made from carefully selected grapes sourced from independent growers in a rented cellar. ‘ He had had time to make his opinion quality wise. This is how little by little the wine shaped itself within his mind. And with this in mind, it was clear which crus should enter the composition ‘ explains Alice. There were growers who refused to sell their Grapes, but many appreciated both Bruno and the ambition of his project and so agreed to work with him.

It wasn’t until 1984 that he had built his first ‘above-ground’ cellar. This allowed Bruno to strictly regulate temperature, lighting and humidity. Seven years after selling his Jaguar, Hugh Johnson defined Bruno Paillard as “small but prestigious … with excellent silky vintages and non vintage” In 1990, with architect Jacques Bléhaut, Bruno designed the current winery. The structure consists of stainless steel, glass and wood symbolising the three vessels used in the production of Champagne.

In 2007 Bruno’s daughter, Alice, joined the family adventure. Having worked in the vineyards and then in the cellar for the first year, she dedicated the next four years to developing exports. Alice now co-manages the Maison with her father and continues to spearhead the philosophy and evolution of the house.

In the vineyards

In 1994, Bruno bought his first vineyard: 3ha in grand cru Oger in the Côte des Blancs . He continued to build his vineyard holdings which now provide more than half (70%) of all required grapes. The remainder are purchased from the same independent growers, from more than 30 different villages, with whom Bruno Paillard has been partnered with for many years. At Bruno Paillard owning vineyards is important, not only to take ownership of the terroir but also to ensure long-term viability. LVMH are a dominant force in securing new grape contracts, maintaining a relatively high percentage of ownership Bruno Paillard hedges against this challenge.

The house has worked with the same carefully-selected growers since it was founded; ‘ This relationship is now, for the most part, across two generations, even three generations in one case ‘ Alice tells me. In a manner similar to that of the classic approach in Barolo, Bruno Paillard seeks to work with a range of sites which more completely express Champagne.

I spoke with Alice about the dynamic of the relationship between Bruno Paillard and the farmers, her response was too valuable not to share. ‘ of course we choose them, but, as in all good relationships, they choose us just as much. Serious growers have convictions and beliefs. Of course it does not mean we all share the same convictions and beliefs, but if they choose to bring their grapes to us, it is around a common theme, respect ” . Bruno Paillard involves the farmers in its journey, they project their ambitions far and wide, putting the farmers at the centre of these intentions.

The vineyards now cover 32ha and are spread across the best villages of Champagne, Le Mesnil sur Oger , Oger , Cumières or Verzenay , to name a few. The exception is Les Riceys ; situated in the south of Champagne, it is the flagship village of the Aube . Close to 100 different plots are represented, each with a different terroir. 12ha of the vineyards are grand cru, which considering grands crus represent only 17 of the 320 villages of Champagne is relatively impressive. It is often the case that the house owns parcels of land geographically close to those of its farmers, this gives both a real sense of experience, a sense of belonging which transcends a simple quality charter.

Bruno Paillard adopts a sustainable approach to viticulture, something Alice has championed. No herbicides or pesticides are used and the vineyards are ploughed regularly. Ploughing oxygenates the soil, encourages roots to grow deep, creates a natural mulch and reduces the need for herbicides. Frédéric Mugnier says he has not used herbicides since 1989 and credits this as a major factor in the improvement in the health of his vineyards. As is the case at Ruinart , at Bruno Paillard regularly assesses individual sites, based on the results of this analysis each sites nutritional status can is adjusted according to its individual needs.

Maintaining robust and resilient vines is crucial to vigneron, particularly in the face of climate change. In Piedmont resilience is considered the first and most important line of defence. Bruno Paillard encourages the planting of flower-covered headlands, with particular focus on species native to each village. This biodiverse landscape supports the native bee population, enhances soil microbiology, anchors the soil and strengthens both vine, and the soils, resilience during challenging times such as drought and severe rain. Alice refers to this as transversality, a notion of how spaces can intersect. She is optimistic about the future and the positive role of mankind in its custody of the land; ‘ When we purchase a parcel, we do not purchase what it is, but what we believe it can become. ‘

In the winery

Grapes are crushed in the press house nearest to the vineyard and the must transported to the winery in Reims. Only the first press juice is used, the first 50cl yielded by each kilo of grapes. In the winery, the must is divided between tanks or barrels according to origins, grape varieties and parcels. Alcoholic fermentation occurs seperately in both open tanks and small oak barrels.

Malolactic conversion begins freely. The acidity level of Paillard’s wine tends to be a little higher on average than a number of other houses. This is in part due to the fact that only the first press is kept and because of the high proportion of chardonnay used. Between the first series of vins clair tastings and final blending, nearly 6 months will pass. Almost 500 barrels and 110 cuvées are regularly tasted. Following this, wines are selected and the composition of each cuvée finalised.

Bruno Paillard shared some thoughts on variety and site characteristics with Jamie Goode. These thoughts offer a unique insight to the houses blending decisions and elaborate on why Paillard has chosen particular sites. On varieties, Bruno thinks;

On site characteristics, Bruno thinks;

There are producers making great wines in Champagne from what could be considered ‘no where’ in the wider hierarchy of prejudice, for example Ulysse Collin in the Coteaux du Sézannais . I asked Alice about lesser spoken about villages which she admires. ‘Some other villages are absolutely stunning … one example could be Grauves , which is on the North part of Côte des Blancs, and on the other side of the hill: a very different orientation. We always loved this cru, and even more in warmer vintages ‘ An interesting thought to explore, as the climate warms the preconceived notions of appellation hierarchy may shift entirely.

The secret lies in Solera

For multi-vintage, the aim of the vigneron is always to reinterpret the original blend, to maintain consistency. Reserve wines make up close to 50% of the blend at Bruno Paillard. The houses reserve wines are kept in tanks and small oak barrels. In these tanks and barrels are wines already blended from the year before, themselves including 20 to 50% reserve wines from the previous year and so on dating back to 1985.

This solera-style technique is not frequently seen in champagne and is most often associated with artisan growers opposed to houses. Advocates of the style include Anselme Selosse and Jerome Prevost. Selosse visited López de Heredia in the 1970s, it was this time spent in Jerez that planted the seeds for became Substance. In the mid 1980s Selosse decided to adopt the solera style. Substance includes all vintages, good, bad and average; hot, cold and neutral. In theory, all of these different expressions should net out in the blend.

The term is used loosely in Champagne to refer to wines made with what can be more accurately described as a perpetual reserve in which the wine from a base vintage is blended with the reserve wines of all previous vintages. This style is an invaluable asset to maintain style and balance. Bruno Paillard multi vintage champagnes seeks to counter the vintage and retain consistent style. With the Champagne climate being particularly troublesome from one year to another, this solera-style assists in maintaining consistency.

In pursuit of consistency

During the spring which follows harvest, once blends have been determined, the wines are bottled. They are are sealed with a temporary cork, not cap, and undergo extensive stable ageing under only sodium light, no UV, Brad Greatrix, would be most pleased. Paillard chooses to age the wines for longer than is required by law, ranging from 3 years for Première Cuvée up to 8 to 10 years for N.P.U.

Hand riddling is a resource-intensive and inconsistent process, at Bruno Paillard only Jeroboams and Methuselahs are riddled by hand. Gyropalettes ensure a much greater level of consistency and precision than any human could replicate. They turn the bottle by precisely one degree and rotate it 1/12 of a turn. Over 8 to 10 days the bottles are rotated until upside down, where they are ready to be disgorged.

In the past, disgorgement was done by hand; however, achieving consistent quality in manual processes is difficult. Today the neck of the bottle, including the sediment, is frozen at -25°C, allowing for easy extraction and controlled loss of wine. Bruno Paillard Champagnes are all Extra Brut, meaning relatively low dosage, at most 6g/l. There exists a prominent philosophy that lower dosage better respects the purity of the wines, the terroir and maintains a certain vigour and tension.

In 1983, Bruno became the first champagne producer to display disgorgement date on each bottle. This commitment to both transparency and the telling of a story is a trend which has continued across Europe. Producers like Nyetimber and Krug now etch codes in to their bottles allowing consumers to further explore, and in the case of Krug digitally track, the bottles they purchase.

A commitment to Champagne and future challenges

Bruno Paillard is committed to defending the region and takes an active role in shaping it. Elected in 2001 to manage the “commission on defence of the appellation” department of the CIVC, he works on maintaining the global respect of the Champagne Appellation. He was also elected administrator of Union des Maisons de Champagne in 1989. As if this wasn’t enough, he also heads the quality commission on the Champagne 2030 project .

As Champagne’s position comes under increasing attack from upstarts like Prosecco, the region responded with Champagne 2030, its goal to retain Champagne’s position as the world’s pre-eminent sparkling.

When you discuss challenges with a person you are offered a snapshot of their perspective, their resolve and their character. I asked Alice what she believed were the biggest challenges facing Champagne over the next decade. ‘ The first one is the climatic one ‘ she tells me. Champagne sits at the northernmost borders of viticulture (as the climate stands today) it also experiences a continental influence which means little humidity. This lack of humidity does relieve some of the pressure of increasing temperatures,. Despite these challenges Alice is vocal of her optimism, she believe the challenge should help strengthen the Champenois’ resolve in evolving their approach to viticulture.

‘I am amazed at how beautifully the vine and the terroir reacts. I am an optimistic character, but a proven one ‘

‘ The second one I see is staying a community ‘ much of the strength of Champagne throughout history has been in the Champenois’ ability to muster round their appellation, they have understood that individual success could only come from a strong appellation achieved by all, ‘their common precious gift’ Alice says. She hopes his sense of community and shared responsibility is shared with the younger generation in what we hear is a time more defined by individualism.

I hope to have offered you the opportunity to better comprehend the profound philosophy of Champagne Bruno Paillard. The house represents respect, purity, elegance and the continuity of the Champenois.

Fletcher Wines: serendipity and sleepless nights, from Adelaide to Langhe

Carema: heroic viticulture, sudden demise, and a fervent revival

Nada Fiorenzo: hidden in plain sight crafting elegance in Treiso

This post has one comment.

Great bllog

wordonthegrapevine

Follow me on Instagram

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

Rhône discovery (5) Xavier Vignon, Ventoux
Chapoutier’s Sélection Parcellaire releases, 2023
Highlights: the baby brother of Sassacaia, Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2022
Highlights: Some lounge wine surprises – Cos Labory, Bouchon Granito and others
Rhône discovery (4) Château Pesquié, one of the leading lights in Ventoux

wineanorak.com

online wine magazine

Champagne Bruno Paillard launch the new Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru, with Alice Paillard

Website: https://champagnebrunopaillard.com/en/

Bruno Paillard, who famously set up his own Champagne house in 1981, is a force of nature. But so is his daughter Alice, who is now running the show. Presenting the new Blanc de Noirs to a group of high end journalists (and me) in the fancy Aubrey restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental, she was in her element.

‘It is an important moment for us to share a new wine,’ she began. ‘Pinot Noir is a very noble and fragile grape, and it has always been important to us. Our flagship wine is composed of a majority of Pinot Noir. It is just 33% Chardonnay. We like Pinot Noir for its great finesse. There are already beautiful Blanc de Noirs in Champagne, but often we know them from the southern side of the mountain. But this was not the idea behind this Blanc de Noir.’

‘We are approaching this with a different proposition. First, it is multi-vintage. It’s a way to keep the wine forever with us. Vintage is fun but it is not so loyal.’

This debut release is the first 5000 bottles, with 12.5% of reserve wine in the blend, and the base the 2018 vintage. The reserve will build up, and represent more of the blend in the future. ‘We are at the first steps,’ she says. It is extra brut, with 3 g/l dosage. The reserve began with 2015 and 2016 in stainless steel. The wine was bottled in June/July 2019 and then disgorged in January 2023.

‘We decided to make this Grand Cru,’ says Alice. ‘You know when you do this that it will remain a little jewel. You close the door to a big increase in production.’ The big idea behind this wine was the location of the vineyards, though. ‘We wanted to put the northern terroirs of the Reims mountain on the map. It is dominated by Verzy, Verzenay and Mailly. Expressions of the grape that are rare as the dominant character.’ There’s also one-third Bouzy Grand Cru. The aim, she says, is to show the character of Pinot Noir with the delicacy of the northern Grand Crus.

Like her father, when it comes to base wines Alice tastes blind and just smells the wine. ‘It’s the way to stay free,’ she says. She began working at the house in 2007 and very progressively got involved with decision making. Since 2018 she has been responsible for the blend, although her father did come back to assist in 2020 during lockdown. She had three small children aged 3, 6 and 8 at home, so needed a hand. ‘It was really tough!’

Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru MV France This is fresh and citrussy on the nose with grapefruit and a hint of white pepper. Linear and pure on the palate with a hint of pear and yellow plum, and a nice lemony drive. Just a hint of cherry. Pristine and with a hint of chalkiness, and then some saline notes on the finish, as well as a twist of pink grapefruit. 94/100

Other Paillard Champagnes recently tasted:

Champagne Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée MV France Disgorged June 2021. More than 30 crus from 106 parcels, aged at least 36 months on lees. Exclusively first pressing, Pinot Noir (45%), Chardonnay (33%) and Pinot Meunier (22%), part of which (20%) was fermented in barrel. Reserve wines a blend of 25 vintages back to 1985, and this makes up to 50% of the final blend. Dosage is below 6 g/litre. This shows good concentration of citrus fruit with some fine toasty hints, and lovely layers of lemon, pear and white peach fruit, backed up by a chalky acid line. This is a really complete, complex non-vintage blend with great balance. 92/100

Champagne Bruno Paillard Rosé Première Cuvée MV France 12% alcohol. Disgorged January 2022. This has a lovely saline twist to the pear, apple and mandarin fruit with some red cherry and cranberry. There’s fine spiciness here with lovely acidity, and a tapering saline finish. This has energy and drive with nice brightness and concentration. 92/100

Champagne Bruno Paillard Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru MV France From 36 plots in Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger, this spends a minimum of 48 months on lees, and this bottle was disgorged in June 2018. 12% alcohol. Pure and very precise with taut lemony fruit. Lovely acid line here with pristine, slightly chalky lemony notes and a subtle crystalline toasty edge. Amazing intensity here. 94/100

Provence wines

Paillard also own a Provence domaine and these wines are really impressive. Les Sarrins is located in the village of Saint Antonin du Var, near Lorgues, halfway between the foothills of The Alps and the Mediterranean. It’s a 100 hectare estate with 27 hectares of vines at an altitude of 150 to 220m. Soils are gravelly limestone from the tertiary era, with some clay. Since its acquisition in 1995 the vineyards have been farmed organically.

Château des Sarrins Blanc Secret 2021 Côtes de Provence, France 13.5% alcohol. From a 25 hectare vineyard owned by Bruno Paillard, this is mostly Rolle (Vermentino, until the Italians pulled a fast one with this name, disallowing others from using it). Lovely aromatics with refined white peach and citrus on the nose. There’s a real refinement here. The palate is delicate and expressive with lovely weight and balance, showing a slight creaminess as well as crystalline citrus fruit, a touch of canteloup melon and fine spices. This is serious stuff: a great example of Provence white. 94/100

Château des Sarrins Rosé Grande Cuvée 2022 Côtes de Provence, France 13% alcohol. This is from Bruno Paillards Provence estate, 40 km from the sea at an altitude of 150-180 m. He has 27 hectares here on clay/limestone soils. This wine is a blend of Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvedre. Expressive and bright with a nice citrus twist to the spice-framed cherry fruit. Lovely texture and weight but also good acidity, giving a sense of precision and finesse with crystalline purity. Fresh with a hint of salinity on the finish. 93/100

UK agent: Wanderlust Wine

See also: report on a visit to Champagne Bruno Paillard

Share on Facebook
← Highlights: the first evening in Sancerre begins with two great bottles
Curetage: vine surgery for Esca in action, with François Dal →

The wines of Finca Sandoval, Manchuela, Spain

Visiting Plaimont, a super-co-op that has changed the face of southwest France

Cava discovery (7) Mastinell

Sign up to our newsletter

Why Bruno Paillard’s 1st NV Blanc de Noirs takes a new direction

For a Champagne house so in love with Pinot it is curious that it has taken 42 years for Champagne Bruno Paillard to release a new Blanc de Noirs since its first one way back in 1981. “You have to start somewhere'” Alice Paillard tells Peter Dean, as she explains why she eschewed opulence and sweetness in the Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs MV and opted instead for refinement with a very low dosage – a true sommelier’s cuvée if ever there was one.

“The idea of this Blanc des Noirs is to show how we really love the North Pinot on chalky soil,” says Alice Paillard about the new Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs

Online Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs tasting, July 23, 2023

The launch of a new cuvée from Champagne Bruno Paillard is always a special occasion and so it has proved again with the debut release of its first ever Blanc de Noirs MV, the Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru MV XB to give it its full, unexpurgated title. Since 1981 this independent, family-owned House has wowed aficionados and sommeliers alike with its particular style of Champagne which can be broadly characterised as: always being Extra Brut; only using first-pressed juice; and having a long ageing post-disgorgement.

“The truth is that Champagne stands on two feet: One, the northerly climate, and two, its chalky subsoil. These for me are the great assets of Champagne,” was how Bruno Paillard put it five years ago when talking to the Buyer about the launch of its Dosage Zero project.

Today it is daughter Alice who is in the driving seat for the tasting and she picks up the point about low dosage which, in the case of the new Multi-Vintage Blanc des Noirs, is below 3 g/l, which is very low compared to most BdN.

“One gram more would have been easier, for sure, but the wine would have been more usual,” Alice explains, “more like a classic Blanc des Noirs in my opinion.”

And Paillard’s house style dictates that its wines should always stand out from the crowd. But why make the dosage so low, apart from obviously conforming to style?

“I chose 3 g/l to maybe protect it from itself, to ensure it has more intensity and density rather than being outgoing. The wine is untypical – I struggle to put it into words – but it is intense, very elegant, very refined, that’s what I would like to capture with our Blanc des Noirs. I’m not interested with ‘big style Pinot’, showing off – but you have to start somewhere right?”

Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs is released this autumn – the first release under Paillard’s new deal with Wanderlust Wines

The love of the North

Although this is Bruno Paillard’s first Blanc des Noirs Multi-Vintage to be released (the BdN in 1981 was a vintage), Paillard has made two vintage BdNs that are currently ageing in the cellar – 2015 and 2016 vintages – both of which are part of the blend in this new Multi-Vintage cuvée. The base wine which forms the main part of the blend, incidentally, is from the 2018 vintage.

“The first edition, an MV, is not about a balance between the North and South of the mountain, it is clearly North mountain,” continues Alice, “the vast majority – of course it is Grand Cru Montagne de Reims – is the way we like to show Pinot in its precision, in its depth, in its intensity, but also very contained. It’s not about opulence.”

“The idea of this Blanc des Noirs is to show how we really love the North Pinot on chalky soil.”

Paillard confesses to not having tasted many Blanc des Noirs in her time, and that includes this new MV, which she hasn’t sampled much at all. When we taste the wine together she seems to get lost in her thoughts. That, plus a wave of nostalgia that sweeps over her. I picture Anton Ego, the wine critic in Ratatouille who suddenly gets swept back to a childhood memory when he samples Remy’s eponymous dish.

“Clearly the wine has a bit of a childhood souvenir of taste and aromatics,” she says, “when you grow as a child in Champagne what grows in the garden is redcurrants, raspberries, rhubarb, the smells… it’s clearly how I grew up and how my father did before me – everywhere is this explosion of acidity in a noble manner.”

“It’s a different landscape than sweetness and love of wild forest,” she continues, alluding again to the Pinot styles she’s trying to avoid.

“Here I find nutmeg, cacao powder, citrus pepper like Timut – spiciness and sensation of citrus at the same time – and after comes the velvety flowers a bit deeper… it’s just starting to open but then it’s a baby – it requires time.”

Mutual brand values: Wanderlust MD Richard Ellison

The launch of the new Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs arrives in the UK soon after the appointment of Wanderlust Wines as its sole UK distributor, Paillard having made the decision to pull out of Bibendum. Paillard and Wanderlust MD Richard Ellison cite a “strongly aligned ethos” and mutual brand values (independence, entrepreneurial spirit and the like) as some of the drivers behind the move.

Wanderlust will start selling a wider range of Paillard’s Champagnes than we’ve seen before in the UK – such as the 3-year disgorged Cuvée ’72 – into both the on and off-trade, along with a range of wines from Château des Sarrins, the Provence-based estate that the Paillard family bought 30 years ago and whose wines have never been available before in the UK.

So how does the new Blanc de Noirs measure up to other ‘jewels in the crown’?

Champagne Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée MV XB

Signature wine of the house making up 60% of its output. Fruit from 30 crus with the first pressing of Pinot Noir (45%), Chardonnay (33%) and Meunier (22%), with up to 50% reserve wines made up of 25 vintages since 1985, 20% fermented in barrel. Ageing: 36 months on lees, followed by a minimum of 5 months post disgorgement (December 2022). Dosage: 5.5g/l. RRP £47.

Tasting notes: Platinum gold; energetic mousse developing into fine, lively bead; welcoming fruity nose with ripe yellow stone fruit, grapefruit, red berries and a touch of Sechuan pepper, flowers then appear. Balanced in the mouth, full, warm, welcoming and then fresh, crisp undercurrent of ripe Sicilian lemon, with almond, toasted bread. The long ageing adds richness without a hint of austerity, the Meunier also brings ripe, exotic fruit into the mix that gives perception of sweetness. The finish is not that long but crisp, fresh and dry with a twist of citrus.

Champagne Bruno Paillard Cuvée 72 MV XB

Pinot Noir (45%), Chardonnay (33%) and Meunier (22%), up to 50% reserve wines, 20% fermented in barrel . Ageing: 36 months on the lees, followed by 36 months post disgorgement (my tasting sample was July 2019). Dosage: 5.5g/l. RRP £65.

Tasting notes: Nice counterbalance here between the concentrated aromas and fine, delicacy of the palate. Medium gold; fine, small bubbles; secondary notes take centre stage (note the age of my sample) – grilled hazelnuts, an oxidative quality, cooked fruits, almond paste, viennoise, forest honey; in the mouth the wine feels drier, having absorbed some of that primary fruit, it is delicate with a firm, mineral-charged undercurrent; citrus-dominated, lime and satsuma are joined by flavours of sharp cranberry jelly and a bite of lime sorbet.

Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru MV XB

Chardonnay (100%), up to 50% reserve wines, 15 -20% fermented in barrel. Ageing: 48 months on lees, followed by a minimum of 12 months post disgorgemet (May 2022). Dosage: 5g/l. RRP: £70.

Tasting notes: Taut, precise, lemon fruit-charged Blanc de Blancs. Pale platinum gold; yellow grapefruit dominates the nose, white flowers, fresh wet chalk, a touch of toast and fresh nut. The wine is lean and lively in the mouth, lemon fruit, crisp pear and Braeburn apple. Ripe lift on the mineral finish which seems to last for ever.

Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru MV XB

Pinot Noir (100%), up to 50% reserve wines, 15 -20% fermented in barrel . Ageing: 36 months on lees, followed by a minimum of 6 months post disgorgement (November 2022). Dosage: 3g/l. RRP: £70 . Released this autumn.

Tasting notes: Bright platinum gold with copper highlights, fine bead; at first there are alluring aromas of red berries – fresh raspberries, redcurrants, wild strawberries and rhubarb; pâte de framboises; then spice (Timut pepper), citrus, a hint of wet chalk, recently dried rose petals follow; the palate is a touch closed, with a tense, mineral-charged attack followed by chalky texture and more of a sense of structure; I picked up flavours of pink grapefruit, saline and a touch of Aspirin on the long finish. This is a truly distinctive Blanc de Noirs, quite unlike any I have tried before, it is gastronomic with the fruit taking a back seat. A sommelier’s wine if ever there was one. Needs more time, six months perhaps.

Bruno Paillard is now distributed in the UK by Wanderlust Wine.

Why Joanne Harris launched new Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino

First taste: Why Bollinger dedicated La Grande Année 2015 to the forests

Why innovation fused with tradition is key to modern Portuguese wine

Top wine merchants on why Pays d’Oc IGP wines offer them so much

Chris Wilson on Volnay's Guillaume d'Angerville and his new 2022 wines

Les Caves de Pyrene launches first en primeur English wine campaign

ProWein vs Wine Paris: what buyers, producers & importers want

Anthony Hamilton Russell and the grape that came in from the cold

ProWein: Is quality over quantity now the way forward for the show?

Meet our partners.

Newsletter & Tastings

Sign up now

Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée Extra Brut Champagne N.V.

Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée NV Review

Focused, with piercing acidity

Perfect For

Date Night , Popping Bottles , Treat Yo'self

Drink If You Like

Chardonnay, Sparkling Wine

Half of the Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée comes from a reserve wine, a blend of 25 vintages that were first composed in 1985. The sparkling wine includes grapes from more than 30 of Champagne’s 320 crus and is considered a very personal interpretation of the whole region. With less than six grams of sugar per liter, the Première Cuvée is an extra brut bottling. This bottle is focused, with piercing acidity and layers of citrus. Hints of brioche and nuts add a flavorful evolution while an incredible refreshing character drives throughout. Pair with anything you’re craving but for a flavorful experience, try with crispy, fried foods.

Related Champagne Reviews

Krug Grande Cuvée 171ème Édition NV: Krug does not do vintage wines nor do they have a non-vintage house style. Every year they make the best wine they can based on the ...

Champagne André Jacquart Solera Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs NV: At your next aperitif hour or canape party, impress with this show-stopping blanc de blancs release from André Jacquart, which serves as a ...

Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve NV: One of the most expressive and textured non-vintage Champagne bottles out there. It’s reasonably priced — comparatively — delivering ...

Champagne Christophe Baron Le Dessus du Bois Marie 2018: Champagne's Marne Valley is traditionally heavy Pinot Meunier country. And here, Christophe Baron makes a case for single vineyard, single ...

Featured Champagne Articles

8 Exceptions to the Wine Rules : There are some really firm rules about wines and winemaking, but surprisingly there are just as many exceptions.

The Timeless Allure of Oysters and Alcohol : Alcohol has played secondo to the oyster for hundreds of years, as either a beverage pairing or as a rinse on the oyster's shell itself.

Cost-Conscious Newlyweds Are Skipping the Champagne Toast in Favor of Other Drinks : A recent shift shows how couples getting married today view Champagne at the wedding reception, especially around the Champagne toast.

The 50 Best Wines of 2023 : Read VinePair's authoritative list of the best 50 wines of 2023 now! These are 50 of the best wines you can buy. See them all now!

Multi-Vintage
N.P.U. – Nec Plus Ultra
Old disgorgements collection
The vintage collection
Wine’s lives
Art & Champagne

a very personal style

Maison Bruno Paillard sprang from its founder’s desire to create a champagne different from any other; extremely pure.

A great champagne for Bruno Paillard is – above all – an “assemblage”, blending: of diverse crus, grape varieties and vintages. It is about the constant desire to capture the elegance which Champagne can bring when it is served with love and care.

This very personal style is a marriage of elegance and complexity which is manifested as a light and smooth effervescence, a remarkable purity, a true freshness and a silky texture. The effervescence brings the aromas of the wine to the taster’s nose and a smooth texture to the palate.

The colour of the wines has to be completely natural. It is bright: green gold for Blanc de Blancs, golden for Première Cuvée Extra-Brut and copper for Rosé. The colour of the vintages becomes deeper, and almost amber after several decades.

The aromas have to be extremely pure: nuances of citrus fruits and almonds from Chardonnay; red fruits from Pinot Noir; and exotic fruits from Pinot Meunier. By using only the first pressing of the grapes, we ensure that the purest aromas are extracted.

The freshness has to be perceptible but not overwhelming. It is enhanced by the acidity of the wine, yet the wine is not acidic in taste. Only a minimum of extra sugar is added (“dosage”) to enhance this remarkable freshness.

Complexity must not be confused with heaviness; rather, it is more about elegance. The balance and the depth of the wines are what gives them their purity. Complexity only reveals itself to those who take time to discover, emerging as the wines age.

REVEALING THE BEAUTY OF CHAMPAGNE

Strong ideals which come from the quest for the expression of Champagne’s beauty.

Bruno Paillard has always been a lover of the Champagne region and has always been committed to defending and actively shaping it. Preserving the inimitable chalky minerality of Champagne terroir, is a priority of the Maison. Great care is taken in the vineyards, to work sustainably and express this specificity.

The pursuit of excellence at Bruno Paillard is manifested at every step of the winemaking. This begins selecting only the best grapes, of which only the first pressing will be retained.

In the winery, each “cru” is vinified separately in tank or barrel to allow a precise selection during the blends. The addition of “Reserve Wines” during the blending process gives consistency to the style of the Maison’s Multi-Vintages. Depending upon the characteristics of the year, the amount which is added varies from 25% to 50%.

In the cellar, the ageing period of the bottles is two to four times longer than the legal minimum in Champagne… it can reach 15 years for the N.P.U. -“Nec Plus Ultra”. The dosage is always “Extra Brut”, respecting the purity of the wines. The wine rests in the cellar after disgorgement, typically for five to 18 months, depending on the vintage.

In 1983, Bruno Paillard became the first champagne producer to display the disgorgement date on every single bottle. By doing this, he tells the consumer about a key moment in the life of a champagne bottle. Applauded by connoisseurs, this initiative is slowly being embraced by other Champagne brands.

Cookie Policy

Overview of our cookie policy.

To view this website you must be of legal drinking age within your country of residence. If no such laws exist in your country you have to be over 18 to visit our website.

I accept the terms and conditions of this site

You are not old enough to view our site.

Breakthru Beverage California South 6550 E Washington Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90040 800-331-2829

Breakthru Beverage California North 912 Harbour Way South Richmond, CA 94804 800-339-1410

Executive Team
Links To Our Brands
Product Catalogs
Price Book South
Price Book North
Beer Book South
Beer Book North
Account Login
New Accounts
FAQ’s

Customer Service 800-421-5904

Interview with Alice Paillard of Bruno Paillard

Nov 22, 2017, an interview with alice paillard of champagne bruno paillard.

In 1981, Bruno Paillard founded the first new Champagne House in almost a century. 35 years later, the company continues realize the vision set forth by its founder. Alice Paillard joined her father in this endeavor in 2007, and now co-manages the firm. We spoke to Alice in December to get an inside look at Maison Bruno Paillard.

Q: what inspired you to join maison bruno paillard.

It started with my great attachment to the region, to Champagne. My family is very deeply rooted here. I felt it was extremely important for me to travel as soon as I could, and explore different places and cultures…because I needed these experiences to realize that I belonged in Champagne ! Then of course the notion of inspiration is a dynamic one : Maison Bruno Paillard has accomplished so much already, and yet it still has such a wonderful path to travel in the future, so the project itself is very fullfilling and continues to inspire me.

Q: Walk us through Maison Bruno Paillard’s connection to art, and to the relationship between this connection and your winemaking philosophy.

It begins with a question that we rarely consider: when we look at a bottle of Champagne, what do we see written on it ? It is not an invented name of an estate. It is always the name of a person. Sometimes a name that became a brand, most of the time the name of someone who died 2 or 3 centuries ago : but always the name of a person. It is interesting to consider why: because a fine Champagne is above all an act of creation. For this : yes, you need the best terroirs, the best grapes. But at the genesis of a Champagne, before all of this, one needs a vision of what one wishes to create. In that regard, vinifying in Champagne is an act of creation. In our case, this vision is about creating wines which must express the elegance and tension of our northern terroir of Champagne.

It was thus a natural extension of this thought process that led my father to decide to complement Bruno Paillard labels with artistic illustrations, thanks to the talents of various painters, to characterize the unique creations inside the bottles of our vintage Champagnes : wines which, by definition, change style with each vintage.

Q: Since 1994, you have developed your own vineyards to the point where over half your fruit comes from your 12 grand crus. How has this development influenced your wines?

And it goes on step by step…to the point that we now source ⅔ of our grapes from these vineyards. Our way of working our own vineyards is inspired by the same vision discussed above; for instance, our method of ploughing the ground encourages a particular verticality of the rooting system into the chalk to extract minerality. As such the style was not changed, but clearly enhanced, and continues to be more and more.

Q: Your House has been a scion of innovation within the world of Champagne, as exemplified by your revolutionary facility and your pioneering display of disgorgement dates. In what areas might we see Maison Bruno Paillard innovate next?

To us, being innovative simply is being true to the founders of Champagne. Those who, in the early days of Champagne under king Louis the XVth, looked for solutions to create a bottle strong enough to resist the pressure of Champagne, to ensure second fermentation would happen consistently, to devise a method of disgorgement…

The key to our innovation lies in our subscription to the following mandate : we never do things just because « they were always done this way ». This way of thinking has led us to innovation in very different arenas. Most of our recent innovations have happened in the vineyard, with simple advances such as creating the appropriate tool to work the ground in the method we want.

Q: How is the 2016 vintage looking for Maison Bruno Paillard?

So, a bit too early to say… But it is certain we have a very good base to work with in the cellar for next spring !

Q: To finish up, give us a couple of your favorite Champagne Bruno Paillard pairings.

The go to, simple and pure pairings I would suggest would be a plate of sushi with the Première Cuvée, a plate of cheese with the Rosé Première Cuvée, a few oysters with Blanc de Blancs de Grand Cru and for N.P.U. – Nec Plus Ultra…I would suggest nothing! It is a wonderful after dinner wine, which should be paired simply with great company and the right music !

FIND OUT MORE AT

www.champagnebrunopaillard.com

The Top 12 Things to Do in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Take a first-rate trip to Russia's fifth city

Ershov_Maks/Getty Images

Although it's Russia's fifth-largest city, you could be forgiven for never having heard of Nizhny Novgorod. Notwithstanding that another Russian city is simply called " Novgorod ," the current name of the city just doesn't have a memorable ring to it. (By contrast, its name during the Soviet years — Gorky, like the famous author — was much more iconic.) At any rate, this city of just over a million around six hours east of Moscow is more than worth a visit. These are just 12 reasons why!

Tour the Kremlin's 13 Towers

Like most every other city in Russia, Nizhny Novgorod is home to a Kremlin. (The word "kremlin" means "citadel" in Russian, and has nothing to do with the modern Russian government) One thing that elevated the Kremlin of Nizhny Novgorod above others in Russia (with the possible exception of the Moscow Kremlin and one or two others), however, is the fact that its wall has 13 towers. During the summer months, at least one free walking tour per day operates from the main entrance of Nizhny Novgorod's Kremlin.

Climb Russia's Longest Staircase

Named for one of the most famous Russian pilots of the early aviation age (Valery Chkalov), the Chkalov Stairs connect two of Nizhny Novgorod's public squares, which sit on the upper and lower embankments of the Volga River, respectively. Built in 1943 (during the period when Nizhny Novgorod was known as Gorky), the Chkalov Stairs currently have the distinction of being the longest staircase in Russia.

Go Wild at Limpopo Zoo

One thing that surprises many travelers to Nizhny Novgorod is how amazing its zoo, colloquially known as Limpopo is. In addition to being home to a tropical botanical garden (which, not surprisingly, is indoors), the zoo hosts a variety of reptiles, mammals and birds. There's also a small sculpture park on the grounds of Nizhny Novgorod's zoo, including both original and replica pieces.

Shop (or Just Stroll) Along a Storied High Street

Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street has been the de-facto "Main Street" of Nizhny Novgorod for more than 200 years. Well, minus the Soviet Union period, during which the cafes that once (and now) lined it became somewhat worthless, since intellectual conversations were basically forbidden. These days, you can come here for a cup of Russian tea then shop at the dozens of boutiques you'll find on either side of the street.

Sun Yourself at the Spit

Nizhny Novgorod sits at the confluence of the Oka and Volga Rivers, with the triangle of land at the point they meet being known as the Nizhny Novgorod Spit. Ignoring the unfortunate double-meaning of its name for a moment, this is actually a wonderful place to get a tan, if it's summer in the city and the sun happens to be shining. Even if not, photographers will enjoy a trip here for a view of the Kremlin and city center across the Volga.

Marvel at the Open-Air Museum of Rozhdestvenskaya Street

Like Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street, Rozhdestvenskaya Street has long been one of the most important streets in Nizhny Novgorod. However, while the former has become a primarily commercial artery in recent decades, the charm of the latter is in its well-maintained buildings, which hearken back to the mid-18th century. In fact, some locals go so far as to consider Rozhdestvenskaya Street an "open-air museum."

Ride Russia's Newest Cable Car

Russian investment in infrastructure isn't quite as dramatic as that of, say, China, but the Federation has nonetheless built a selection of interesting and modern transportation systems since the fall of the USSR. Among them is the just-opened cable car, which travels from the center of Nizhny Novgorod over the Volga River to suburban Bor. At any rate, a ride over the river and back is definitely worth inclusion on your list of things to do in Nizhny Novgorod.

Taste Traditional Shchi Soup

Shchi is one of Nizhy Novgorod's most delicious local specialties, available in most every local restaurant that serves Russian food. From above, a bowl of shchi seems incredibly complicated, with a colorful palette that suggests the inclusion of dozens of diverse ingredients. In fact, the magic of shchi is in its simplicity. Building on the traditional pan-Russian recipe of cabbage, pork fat and salt (yes, just three ingredients), locals in Nizhny Novgorod sometimes add minced meat or egg whites as bonus items, then top the tangy soup with a dollop of sour cream.

Survey Amazing Russian Orthodox Architecture

Think the only amazing Russian Orthodox churches are in Moscow and St. Petersburg? Think again. Nizhny Novgorod boasts several amazing examples of Russian Orthodox architecture. From the brilliant golde domes John the Baptist Cathedral near the Volga River, to the expansive grounds of 14th-century Pechersky Ascension Monastery, Nizhny Novgorod is an architecture buff's dream!

Take a Look Back in Time

Nizhny Novgorod's historical center is relatively large and well-preserved, but a stroll (or 10) through it isn't the only way to get a feel for the city's centuries-long past. Head to the Russian Museum of Photography, which not only showcases a variety of images of Nizhny Novgorod that date back a century or even longer, but also spotlights the equipment Russian photographers have used throughout the years, and notable figures in Russia's photography history as well.

Visit the Convent from the Movie "Salt"

You'd be forgiven if you've entirely forgotten the 2010 film "Salt." However, if you remember any destination from this spy thriller, it's likely the facade of Makaryev Convent, which is located within day-trip distance of Nizhny Novgorod. Having served as a monastery from its consecration in the early 15th century up until the beginning of the Russian Revolution, Makaryev became a convent after the fall of the Soviet Union , and is now home to 22 nuns.

Take an Excursion to a 12th-Century Tea Town

Another worthwhile day trip from Nizhny Novgorod is to the town of Gorodets, which sits about an hour to its northwest. With a history dating back to the 12th century, Gorodets boasts an interesting array of architecture and museums, including one dedicated to samovars.

Moscow - Russian Rivers and Waterways Port of Call

25 Best Things to Do in Moscow

The Top 12 Things to Do in Novgorod, Russia

9 Things to See in Moscow's Red Square

Top 12 Things to Do in Kazan, Russia

The Top 10 Things to Do in Tver, Russia

The Top 15 Places to Visit in Russia

The Top 12 Things to Do in Astrakhan

Top 12 Things to Do in Irkutsk

The Top 11 Things to Do in Belgorod, Russia

The Top 12 Things to Do in Ethiopia

15 Top Things to Do in Lisbon, Portugal

St. Petersburg, Russia

The Top 15 Things to Do in Bordeaux, France

10 Must-Visit Palaces and Castles in Russia

The Top 12 Things to Do in Omsk

Districts [ edit ]

The city is divided by the River Oka into two major parts: the Upper city ( Verkhnyaya or Nagornaya chast ) on the hilly right side and the Lower city ( Nizhnyaya or Zarechnaya chast — what literally means "the part over the river") on the left bank of the river. The Upper city is the old historical part of Nizhny Novgorod, whereas the Lower city is larger, newer and consists of more industrial districts.

Understand [ edit ]

History [ edit ]

The city was founded by Grand Duke George II of Russia in 1221 at the confluence of two most important rivers of his principality, the Volga and the Oka. Its name literally means Newtown the Lower , to distinguish it from the older Novgorod . A major stronghold for border protection, Nizhny Novgorod fortress took advantage of a natural moat formed by the two rivers.

Along with Moscow and Tver, Nizhny Novgorod was among several newly founded towns that escaped Mongol devastation on account of its insignificance and grew up into important centers of Russian political life during the period of Tatar yoke. For a short period of time it was the capital of the Suzdal Principality and competed with Moscow for the power in the region. However the competition with Moscow was lost and in 1392 the city was incorporated into Muscovy. Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin was built in 1508-1511 (under supervision of the Italian fortress engineers) and became one of the strongest Russian citadels. There is a legend saying that the project was initially developed with participation of Leonardo da Vinci. However there is no documented proof of Leonardo's work for that project, the only thing the legend is based on is the striking resemblance of Leonardo's sketches and the actual Kremlin schemes. The fortress was strong enough to withstand Tatar sieges in 1520 and 1536.

In 1612, the so-called national militia , gathered by a local merchant Kuzma Minin and commanded by Knyaz Dmitry Pozharsky expelled the Polish troops from Moscow, thus putting an end to the Time of Troubles and establishing the rule of the Romanov dynasty.

In 1817, the Makaryev Monastery Fair, one of the liveliest in the world the 16th-18th centuries, was transferred to Nizhny Novgorod, which thereupon started to attract numerous visitors and by the mid-19th century it turned Nizhny Novgorod into trade capital of the Russian Empire.

Under the Soviet period, the trade connections of the city were abandoned and Nizhny Novgorod became an important industrial centre instead. During the communist time the city was closed to foreigners to safeguard the security of Soviet military research. The physicist and the Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov was exiled there during 1980-1986 to limit his contacts with foreigners.

Climate [ edit ]

The climate in the region is humid continental and it is similar to the climate in Moscow , although colder in winter, which lasts from late November until late March with a permanent snow cover.

By car [ edit ]

Nizhny Novgorod is situated on the M7/E30 road. The road is in decent condition, although with traffic it can take anywhere from 4 to 8 hours to drive to/from Moscow .

By boat [ edit ]

Turflot [dead link] , Infoflot , and many other companies operate multi-day river cruises down the Volga from early May to the end of September.

Many companies operate passenger boat service between Moscow and Astrakhan , with stops at most cities along the Volga River.

Get around [ edit ]

By foot [ edit ].

The city centre is compact and walkable. However, there are many inclines or steps from the river banks. The bridges are not pedestrian friendly since the sidewalk is very narrow and cars drive extremely fast close to the pedestrians.

By city rail [ edit ]

The City Rail connects areas where there are no metro lines. Connects with the subway at the Moscow railway station. It has 2 lines: Sormovskaya and Priokskaya. The fare by train costs 28 rubles. According to the Citicard Transport Card, the fare is 26 rubles. Also by train you can get to the nearest suburb, or transfer to suburban trains to Dzerzhinsk, Bor, Semenov or Arzamas.

By bus and trolleybus [ edit ]

As of May 2017 in each district of the city there are several city bus routes. The number of trolleybus routes is much less. In one district of the city there are 1-2 trolleybus routes. Trolleybus routes are completely absent in the Leninsky city district. It is worth noting that trolleybuses do not connect the Lower City to the Upper. This is because the trolleybuses do not have enough power to climb the mountain.

The trolleybus network is divided into 3 parts:

The upper trolleybus network (it unites all three districts - Nizhegorodsky, Sovetsky and Prioksky) with a turning circle on the Minin Square, near the Kremlin.
The lower trolleybus network (connects Kanavinsky, Moskovsky and Sormovsky districts)
The Avtozavod trolleybus network (connects all the distant sleeping microdistricts among themselves)

By tram [ edit ]

Throughout the city, land trams run. The longest route of all is 417. It connects the outskirts of Avtozavodsky district with the Moskovsky Rail Terminal. The journey takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes. The route passes through the sleeping areas (approximately 75% of the way). Also in remote neighborhoods there are routes of several more trams, but in most cases, they are in the Upper City. By the way, you can reach there by tram 27 or 10 directly from the Moscow railway station.

By marshrutka [ edit ]

Marshrutkas do not stop at every stop. To indicate your intention to exit a marshrutka, press a button and to indicate your intention to enter a marshrutka en-route, you need to wave your hand.

By bicycle [ edit ]

Nizhny Novgorod has not very developed bicycle infrastructure. Special bike paths exist only on the Upper-Volga and Lower-Volga embankments and on Rozhdestvenskaya Street.

The upper city is very hilly and full of steep inclines and even many locals will get off their bicycles and push their bikes up the hill by foot. Drivers can be reckless and pose a danger to cyclists. The roads can also be icy during the winter. City cyclists solve this problem by replacing summer tires with winter tires.

Also, in 2017 the implementation of a new integrated transport scheme of the city began. It provides for a large number of bicycle paths in the Upper City (including on Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street) and in the Lower City.

See [ edit ]

Monuments [ edit ]

Monument to Valery Chkalov, the famous test pilot of the 1930s, known for his ultra long flight from Moscow to Washington State via the North Pole.
Maxim Gorky, at the square named after him
Alexander Pushkin (at the entrance to the Theatre of Opera and Ballet)
56.327974 44.001982 26 Prince George and Saint Simon of Suzdal , The Kremlin, St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral . Monument to the founders of the city of Prince Yuri II of Vladimir (also George Vsevolodovich) and Simeon of Suzdal ( updated Jun 2017 )

Religious [ edit ]

Pechersky Ascencion Monastery , near Sennaya Square a couple miles east of downtown, halfway down the slope to Volga. With a cathedral and several churches surrounded by a restored stone wall, the monastery is the seat of the archbishops of Nizhny Novgorod.
A big variety of other churches and convents.

Buy [ edit ]

Sleep [ edit ]

All hotels and hostels offer free Wi-Fi and many have computer terminals. Almost all accept credit cards. Hotels and hostels will usually provide a visa invitation and registration for an additional fee.

Connect [ edit ]

Phone [ edit ].

For information on purchasing a SIM card in Russia, see Russia#Connect .

Note that Nizhny Novgorod is in the Volga region zone, and SIM cards purchased elsewhere, such as in Moscow or Saint Petersburg , may be subject to roaming charges.

There are payphones in the streets; however, you can only buy phone-cards in the post offices and in a few newspaper kiosks.

Internet [ edit ]

Free WiFi is available in most hotels, shopping malls, university buildings, restaurants and cafes, the airport as well as several metro stations. There is also free public WiFi on B. Pokrovskaya street.

Cope [ edit ]

Must visit places around Nizhny Novgorod

What is the Nizhniy Novgorod region famous for beyond its borders? There are still several places here that are ‘worshipped’ by tourists, which are definitely worth a visit.

An ‘atomic’ city

A decision was taken in 1946 to set up the country’s first nuclear scientific-production centre in Sarov. For many years this period in Russia’s history remained under lock and key. Today anyone who is interested can learn about the fundamental stages that went into creating Russia’s contemporary nuclear shield, touch the Soviet super-bomb and learn about the lives of those who stood at the threshold of the country’s nuclear might. One only need visit the historical museum of Nuclear weapons, which opened in Sarov on 13 November 1992.

Among its exhibits is the first Soviet atomic bomb the RDS-1 – the famous ‘Tatyana’, as well as the RDS-4, which was the first production atomic bomb, and the first artillery shell with a nuclear warhead, as well as the warheads belonging to the U.S.S.R.’s first strategic missiles. The precursor to the bomb of bombs, the famous RDS-1 nuclear device now stands in one of the museum’s halls. Next to this device is the console, from which the bomb was activated and the aerial bomb casing created specially for it.

The famous RDS6s ‘sloyka’, which was the world’s first hydrogen bomb, always attracts particular attention from visitors to the exhibition. Andrey Sakharov, who was still young at that time, played an active role in creating this device as a member of a group of theoreticians.

Probably the most controversial of the museum’s exhibits in Sarov is the bomb, which entered the history books under the peculiar name of the ‘Kuzkina mat’. It was this bomb, which Nikita Khrushchyov, banging his shoe fervently on the rostrum, promised to demonstrate to the Americans. The characteristics of this, the world’s most powerful experimental hydrogen bomb stir the imagination: the power of the device inside the casing was equal to 100 megatonnes of TNT. In order to better understand how much power this represents, imagine all the explosive charges used in World War Two put together, multiply this by 20 and you will arrive at an explosive device, with a power equal to that, which was readied for testing. Owing however to the initiative of Andrey Sakharov and due to the fact that the ‘mamasha’ was far too big to fit into the belly of the specially prepared Tu-95 bomber, it was reduced to half its size. On 30 October 1961 the Tsar-bomba was detonated at an altitude of 4.5 km above Novaya Zemlya.

Entry to the city of Sarov is only affected by means of a special pass, which can be drawn up when booking an excursion around the nuclear city.

Ancient monasteries

The first location, which one needs to remember, is Diveyevo. The Svyato-Troitskiy Serafimo-Diveyevskiy Monastyr (the Holy Trinity Saint Seraphym Diveyevo Monastery), the fourth and final apanage of the Mother of God, is in the heart of this village to the south of the region. The monastery is inexorably linked to the name of Saint Seraphym of Sarov and his relics are kept there. Solemnities of Saint Seraphym of Sarov are held here every August, however if you prefer not to be in a crowd of people, choose any of the other summer months for your visit.

For those who prefer ancient Russian architecture to nuclear reactors, the Makarevskiy Monastyr (Makarev Monastery) in the Lyskov district is worth a visit. This monastery was founded in 1453 by Saint Makary Uzhensky. After its inception however the cloister was smashed by the Tatars, therefore the remaining architectural structures date back to the beginning of the 17th Century. The wonderful ensemble that serves to this day as a monastery rests on the right bank of the Volga River and not only attracts pilgrims but also tourists, who want to admire this most beautiful example of ancient Russian architecture.

Gorodets, which is a contemporary of the city of Moscow, cannot be missed. This is one of Russia’s most ancient cities, and was also founded by Yuriy Dolgorukiy. It gained notoriety as one of the ‘muzey pod otkrytym nebom’ (open air museum) cities. Every house in the centre is a Cultural Heritage Site. One should definitely visit the neighbouring ‘Gorod masterov’ (Craftman’s Centre), which houses displays and traditional craft workshops for trades like: gold embroidery, gorodets painting, pottery making, wood carving, and gingerbread making.

As is often the case however, the most interesting areas are those off the beaten track.

Cherry orchards

In the village of Bolshiye Baklaldy is the world’s only cherry museum. Incidentally this trip is a must in May: the beauty of the cherry orchards in blossom defies description. The history of this location dates back to the 17th Century, when the first (varochnaya) cooking room was founded under the Boyar Boris Morozov. This was where juices, liqueurs, and marinades were prepared. They have retained their notoriety to this day. Visitors to the museum will certainly be invited to familiarise themselves with the famous taste of these products. Incidentally not only the museum, but also the whole village of Bolshiye Bakaldy is very nice, and in spring it is transformed into one enormous blossoming cherry orchard.

From these cherry orchards the road leads to the village of Buturlino, to the natural history museum, which is housed in a beautiful building constructed in the ‘provincial classicism’ style. The museum houses artefacts from ancient peasant life, displays from the Bornukov stone carving school, as well as the ‘Staraya kvartira’ – the interior of a village school teacher’s house on the eve of the outbreak of war.

The culmination of the visit has to be the Baronial village in the Gagin region, in which Antione Jomini’s estate is located. Some of the structures dating back to the beginning of the 19th Century are in semi-ruin, while others are comparatively well preserved not only externally, but also internally. A rich park is laid out around the estate. This is one of the most beautiful estates in the Nizhniy Novgorod region and it is worth making the long journey south to see it.

A tour around the old believer sketes

A trip to the north could serve as something of an alternative plan for an excursion – around the significant landmarks of the Nizhniy Novgorod community of old believers.

The first location is the village of Sharpanovo, which houses the tomb of the elderly nun Fevroniya, from which legend has it the Easter spa waters would flow, as well as other ancient old believer burial sites, and two old ponds. Locals to this day still find pre-revolutionary coins in one of these ponds - in the Chistiy prud (Clear pond). The local skete, known as Stariy Sharpan has existed for around 170 years, and was a real stronghold of the persecuted old believers.

Leaving Sharpanov we head for Sharino, the location of the tomb of the ancient monk Serapion, a devotee of the old believers, revered for more than 200 years.

The next location is Osinki, where one can visit an ancient well, from which the water never freezes over in winter, and see the memorial plaque for the monks who were burnt at the stake. Five of their tombs have been preserved, which are to this day tended lovingly by Semyonov old believers.

By the way many of these tombs are examples of a unique architecture, and are decorated with carved golbets (a monument over a grave shaped like a small wooden house or a cross with a simplified roof).

Following on from Osinok one passes in turn through the villages of Elfimovo and Komarovo, Trefilikha, and Fedoseyeva, as well as Larionovo, which houses the ‘Sem dev’ skeet.

The crowning glory of the trip is the old believers church of Nikola Chudotvortsa in Semyonov. This is an active ancient orthodox church. A visit to the Semyonov museum of art and history helps one to immerse oneself in the story of the core faith. Among the exhibits are not only everyday items from the lives of the old believers, but also ancient furniture, items of ironmongery, maps, books, photographs, and icons. Incidentally the advent of the famous Khokhloma school, in which gold shows through on painted wood, without using gold coloured paint has been linked to the community of old believers. For this to happen the item is coated with clay, and then with a sliver powder, and then linseed oil, and it is then painted, before finally another layer of linseed oil is applied. The colours grow darker after firing, and this gives rise to the famous golden Khokhloma luminescence.

For further information on excursions and to hire private tour guides visit the official Nizhniy Novgorod tourist portal http://en.tourismnn.ru/

to our newsletter!

Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox

This website uses cookies. Click here to find out more.

Top 10 Things To Do And See In Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Located about 400km east of Moscow , Nizhny Novgorod is one of the most important centers of cultural, economic, and political activity in European Russia . Widely considered, after St Petersburg and Moscow, to be Russia’s ‘third city’, Nizhny is fast becoming a hot-spot for Russian and global tourists alike, attracted by the city’s up-and-coming reputation and stunning landscape.

The view over Nizhny Novgorod from the city’s Kremlin walls

The Kremlin

Jutting out from the cliffs that overlook the meeting point of the great Volga and Oka rivers, Nizhny Novgorod ‘s ancient Kremlin boasts of some of the best views in the city. Designed by an Italian architect, the 13 magnificent towers and the 12 meter high walls of Nizhny’s Kremlin date back to 1500. On this very spot in 1612, heroes of Russian history Kuzma Minin and Count Dmitry Pozharsky defeated the invading Polish army in extraordinary circumstances. This moment has become legend in Russian history and a statue in honor of these two lies at the foot of St Basil’s in Moscow. The Kremlin is the historic center of the city where you will find an art museum and the lovely Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, as well as a striking monument to those that fought in the Second World War and its flame eternally flickering on in their memory.

The eternal flame in Nizhny Novgorod’s Kremlin

Completed in 2012, taking a ride on Nizhny Novgorod’s cablecar has fast become a favorite activity of tourists. The trip offers unparalleled opportunities to view the city’s gorgeous natural landscape from this bird’s eye position. The 3660m long gondola lift connects Nizhny to the town of Bor and stretches across the Volga River for 900 panoramic meters. The gondola acts as both a convenient means of transportation and a fantastic sight-seeing expedition – come at sunset for a golden-bathed view of the river and surrounding landscape.

The house-museum of Maxim Gorky

During the Soviet era, Nizhny Novgorod, birthplace of celebrated Russian writer Maxim Gorky , was renamed ‘Gorky’ in honor of this national hero. This home has been preserved in a state as accurate as possible to how it was left by Gorky and is so successful in this that it would seem as though the writer still lived there. The museum ‘s historic interiors and authentic furnishings will transport you back to the 1900s and the creative world of this icon of Russian literature. Come and make the most of this unique experience to delve into the childhood world of this Russian father of social realism. Museum booklets and guided tours are available in English.

Become a Culture Tripper!

See privacy policy .

Nizhegorodskaya Yarmarka

A yarmarka is something akin to a fair, and this historic former market place was restored in 1991, the site now playing home to a superb modern exhibition center. The city’s yarmarka plays host to international events, fairs, and conventions. In 2011, for the 20 year anniversary of the fair’s refounding, a vast array of exhibitions were organized, attended by thousands including members of the British royal family, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Gorbachev , and Margaret Thatcher . The fair is not only a buzzing center of business and culture, it is also one of the city’s most impressive sights.

The Nizhegorodsky State Art Museum

Located inside Nizhny Novgorod’s ancient Kremlin, the building that houses this art gallery was once the home of the governor of the city. The exhibits are wide-ranging and include everything from 14th century religious icons, to work by 20th century contemporary Russian masters. Particularly dazzling is the collection by Russian painter Nicholas Roerich. There is also a large arts and crafts collection which demonstrates the exquisite handiwork of Russian artisans throughout history.

1. Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street

Bolshaya pokrovskaya street.

An excellent spot to soak up the best of the city’s atmosphere, this pedestrian street lies in the heart of Nizhny Novgorod. The beautiful Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street is constantly buzzing and provides new and exciting sights at every turn. Gorgeous buildings and fountains tower on all sides – showcasing the best of Nizhny’s architecture. Quirky shop fronts and lovely local souvenirs will have you pausing at every window while the charming cafés will draw you in with their tempting aromas. Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street transforms by night into a vibrant hub of evening activity and is the place to come for a night-out in the city. The bars of this street are favorites with Nizhny Novgorod’s student population.

The Chkalov Staircase

An idyllic spot from which to watch the sun’s rays set over the city, this monumental creation was constructed by the Soviet government and is unique to the city of Nizhny Novgorod. The staircase derives its name from pilot Valery Chkalov who, in 1937, became the first man to fly from Moscow to Vancouver through the North Pole. A monument to Chkalov stands at the top of the stairs. The construction of the staircase cost almost 8 million rubles – an immense sum at the time. Over 1,500 stairs connect the city center with the river embankment – making Chkalov’s landmark the longest flight of stairs along the Volga. Nowadays the staircase is a favorite meeting place and relaxation spot for locals.

The Rukavishnikov Estate Museum

The Rukavishnikovs were a family of immensely wealthy merchants originating from the region around Nizhny Novgorod. This superbly restored palace , their former home, has been transformed into a museum of Russian history and gives a realistic snap-shot of life for the wealthy under tsarist rule. The ornate 19th century interiors and exquisite facade are sure to dazzle with their beauty while the lush green of the surrounding natural landscape provides a tranquil getaway from the city center. Lavish furnishings, priceless antiques, and glistening gold will transport you back in time to a world of balls, carriages, banquets, and tsars. Join the world of Russian noble ladies and gentlemen for a day in this stunning palace.

The memorial statue to Valery Chkalov by the Chkalov Staircase

The Sakharov Museum

Nizhny Novgorod’s Sakharov Museum is dedicated to dissident Russian scientist Andrei Sakharov . The nuclear physicist and human rights activist was exiled for six years to the very flat in which the museum is now housed. Sakharov’s support for civil reform and improved human rights in the Soviet Union earned him harsh persecution from the Russian government, but also, in 1975, a Nobel Peace Prize . Sakharov was incarcerated here until 1986 when a KGB officer arrived to install a phone in the flat. Just after the phone was installed it began to ring: the caller was Mikhail Gorbachev, ringing Sakharov to inform him of his release. This phone is now one of the museum’s most treasured artifacts.

The stunning architecture of Nizhny Novgorod

The National Centre of Contemporary Art

Inside the walls of Nizhny’s Kremlin can also be found one of the best modern art galleries in Russia. Linked to galleries in both St Petersburg and Moscow, this top-ranking exhibition center houses regularly changing displays of both Russian and international art as well as interactive exhibits and a media library. Progress is also on-going of adding a concert hall, extending the exhibition areas, and creating a restaurant. These additions aim to make art contemporary, not simply a detached, unrelatable concept, but bring it closer to the Russian people.

landscape with balloons floating in the air

KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

Post ID: 384552
Sponsored? No
View Payload

IMAGES

Bruno Paillard, Visita alla Maison
Portraits de Bruno Paillard
The Bruno Paillard Style
Superbe Champagne, Première Cuvée, Extra Brut de Bruno Paillard
INTERVIEW : Alice Paillard Nous Présente la Maison Bruno Paillard
Bruno Paillard: Der Champagner-Rebell

VIDEO

Мадаминов Азиз
"Балансируем".Диана Миронова
Шампанское Брюно Пайар Блан де Блан Гран Крю
Guillaume Esmiol about Cannes 2023
브루노 파이야르 아쌍블라쥬 2012 Bruno Paillard Assemblage Brut #리뷰 #샴페인 #shorts
" Gérald, Gabriel et Bruno " Short par Yvon LEVEQUE

COMMENTS

Signature : a very personal style
A great champagne for Bruno Paillard is - above all - an "assemblage", blending: of diverse crus, grape varieties and vintages. It is about the constant desire to capture the elegance which Champagne can bring when it is served with love and care. This very personal style is a marriage of elegance and complexity which is manifested as a ...
Champagne Bruno Paillard
Champagne Small-Group Tour with Tastings and Lunch from Epernay. 44. Recommended. 100% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher. ... vibrant, different, light and fresh. Bruno Paillard Champagne has been around since 1981 and is "a young, dynamic house that has quickly established a reputation for elegant wines with real ...
Bruno Paillard
Represented by Alice Paillard. Bruno Paillard founded his eponymous Champagne house in 1981, when he was only twenty-seven years of age. Since then, Paillard has gained international renown for his wines, and while his own Champagne house remains relatively small in size, Paillard is also the chairman and CEO of Lanson-BCC, one of Champagne's largest conglomerates.
Champagne Bruno Paillard, a family and independent maison
A FAMILY AND INDEPENDENT MAISON. According to Bruno Paillard, a great champagne is above all a wine made by blending: firstly of the crus and the grape varieties, but also vintages… always with this desire to capture the elegance that Champagne can offer when it is lovingly served. read more.
Coming Full Circle With Champagne Bruno Paillard
The wines, with their tiny bubbles, are full of fresh fruit aromas and have a beautiful purity and elegance on the palate, leaving behind a clean and refreshing taste. As Bruno would say, his wines are "full of life". Three years later my "Champagne Bruno Paillard" story came full circle. Bruno was visiting New York City and I was able to ...
Maison Bruno Paillard : Bruno Paillard, the Champagne expert
With his impudent youth and 50,000 francs in his pocket, Bruno Paillard created in january 1981 a Champagne house in his name and forename. Thirty years later, the House Bruno Paillard works all over the world like goldsmiths Odiot or Puiforcat, with a high quality production, perfectly mastered. A goldsmith is fond of good raw material.
A series of champagnes from Bruno Paillard
Bruno Paillard was recently in Stockholm for a tasting of his champagnes, organised by the wine importer Tryffelsvinet. Exciting wines, some unusual ones, and some absolutely delicious. ... Take a look at the wine tour program from BKWine Tours, sometimes including Champagne, for future champagne explorations![/box] Bruno Paillard, the small ...
Bruno Paillard Champagne
Bruno Paillard is available at The Champagne Company and is a Champagne producer based in Reims in the Champagne region. The house was founded in 1981 by Bruno Paillard, after he had worked as a broker in the region since 1975. The Bruno Paillard Champagne house sprang from its founder's desire to create a champagne different from any other ...
INTERVIEW: Alice Paillard presents the Bruno Paillard House
Alice Paillard, co-owner and director of the Bruno Paillard House, is fully in line with the family heritage, putting consistency at the forefront - from grape to sale, passion and craftsmanship are at the heart of the process. Icon-Icon opens the doors to this historic and iconic Champagne House. Alice Paillard, in an exclusive interview ...
Bruno Paillard: from Champagne broker to established Maison
Bruno Paillard had been working as a broker since 1975, his lineage of brokers and growers in the villages of Bouzy and Verzenay dating back to 1704. Champagne run thick in Bruno's blood and during his time as a broker he acquired a deep and extensive knowledge. At just 27 years old, without a penny to his name, Bruno sold his vintage Jaguar ...
Champagne Bruno Paillard launch the new Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru, with
Champagne Bruno Paillard Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru MV France From 36 plots in Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger, this spends a minimum of 48 months on lees, and this bottle was disgorged in June 2018. 12% alcohol. Pure and very precise with taut lemony fruit. Lovely acid line here with pristine, slightly chalky lemony notes and a subtle ...
Why Bruno Paillard's 1st NV Blanc de Noirs takes a new direction
"The idea of this Blanc des Noirs is to show how we really love the North Pinot on chalky soil," says Alice Paillard about the new Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs. Online Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs tasting, July 23, 2023. The launch of a new cuvée from Champagne Bruno Paillard is always a special occasion and so it has proved ...
N.V. Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée Extra Brut Champagne
Bruno Paillard. Première Cuvée Extra Brut Champagne. N.V. A Sparkling wine from Champagne, France. Made from Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay. This wine has 622 mentions of citrus notes (citrus, lemon, grapefruit). See reviews and pricing for this wine.
Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée NV Review & Rating
Half of the Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée comes from a reserve wine, a blend of 25 vintages that were first composed in 1985. The sparkling wine includes grapes from more than 30 of Champagne ...
Champagne Bruno Paillard
Champagne Bruno Paillard
Interview with Alice Paillard of Bruno Paillard
In 1981, Bruno Paillard founded the first new Champagne House in almost a century. 35 years later, the company continues realize the vision set forth by its founder. Alice Paillard joined her father in this endeavor in 2007, and now co-manages the firm. We spoke to Alice in December to get an inside look at Maison Bruno Paillard.
The Top Things to Do in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Tour the Kremlin's 13 Towers. Dmitrii Tishchenko/Getty Images. Like most every other city in Russia, Nizhny Novgorod is home to a Kremlin. (The word "kremlin" means "citadel" in Russian, and has nothing to do with the modern Russian government) One thing that elevated the Kremlin of Nizhny Novgorod above others in Russia (with the possible ...
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod ( Russian: Ни́жний Но́вгород NEEZH-nee NOHV-guh-ruht ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is Russia 's fifth largest city, ranking after Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg. It had a population in 2018 of 1.26 million. It is the economic and cultural center of the vast Volga economic region ...
Must visit places around Nizhny Novgorod
A tour around the old believer sketes. A trip to the north could serve as something of an alternative plan for an excursion - around the significant landmarks of the Nizhniy Novgorod community ...
Première cuvée Extra-Brut
Première Cuvée Extra-Brut, signature of the Bruno Paillard House, is a very personal interpretation of the whole region. It is the fruit of more than 30 crus from the noblest terroirs of the Champagne region, whose composition is kept secret. Selection of the first press of Pinot Meunier (22%), Chardonnay (33%) and Pinot Noir (45%), of which ...
Top 10 Things To Do And See In Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
The Chkalov Staircase. An idyllic spot from which to watch the sun's rays set over the city, this monumental creation was constructed by the Soviet government and is unique to the city of Nizhny Novgorod. The staircase derives its name from pilot Valery Chkalov who, in 1937, became the first man to fly from Moscow to Vancouver through the ...

Champagne Bruno Paillard

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Also popular with travelers

Champagne Bruno Paillard - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

The magazine

Search form

Bruno Paillard, the champagne expert

Portraits of winegrowers

Château Belmar

Champagne Philipponnat

Gérard Bertrand, the South at its best

© 2020 - Sommeliers International

A series of champagnes from Bruno Paillard

3 Responses

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

The mini-champagne fair with the small producers and the big champagnes

Champagne Pascal Lejeune’s path to the Swedish market

Choose an exciting champagne from a grower instead, for a greater experience – a selection

Our Wine Tours

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER!

BRUNO PAILLARD

Top 8 Most Popular Bruno Paillard Products

INTERVIEW: Alice Paillard takes us into the world of Champagne Bruno Paillard

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Bruno Paillard: from Champagne broker to established Maison

In the vineyards

In the winery

The secret lies in Solera

In pursuit of consistency

A commitment to Champagne and future challenges

Share this:

Fletcher Wines: serendipity and sleepless nights, from Adelaide to Langhe

Carema: heroic viticulture, sudden demise, and a fervent revival

Nada Fiorenzo: hidden in plain sight crafting elegance in Treiso

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

wordonthegrapevine

wineanorak.com

Champagne Bruno Paillard launch the new Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru, with Alice Paillard

Provence wines

You May Also Like

The wines of Finca Sandoval, Manchuela, Spain

Visiting Plaimont, a super-co-op that has changed the face of southwest France

Cava discovery (7) Mastinell

Sign up to our newsletter

Why Bruno Paillard’s 1st NV Blanc de Noirs takes a new direction

“The idea of this Blanc des Noirs is to show how we really love the North Pinot on chalky soil,” says Alice Paillard about the new Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs

Related Articles

Why Joanne Harris launched new Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino

First taste: Why Bollinger dedicated La Grande Année 2015 to the forests

Why innovation fused with tradition is key to modern Portuguese wine

Top wine merchants on why Pays d’Oc IGP wines offer them so much

Chris Wilson on Volnay's Guillaume d'Angerville and his new 2022 wines

Les Caves de Pyrene launches first en primeur English wine campaign

ProWein vs Wine Paris: what buyers, producers & importers want

Anthony Hamilton Russell and the grape that came in from the cold

ProWein: Is quality over quantity now the way forward for the show?

Newsletter & Tastings

Sign up now

Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée Extra Brut Champagne N.V.

Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée NV Review

Perfect For

Drink If You Like

Related Reads

Related Champagne Reviews

Featured Champagne Articles

REVEALING THE BEAUTY OF CHAMPAGNE

Cookie Policy

Interview with Alice Paillard of Bruno Paillard

Q: Walk us through Maison Bruno Paillard’s connection to art, and to the relationship between this connection and your winemaking philosophy.

Q: Since 1994, you have developed your own vineyards to the point where over half your fruit comes from your 12 grand crus. How has this development influenced your wines?

Q: Your House has been a scion of innovation within the world of Champagne, as exemplified by your revolutionary facility and your pioneering display of disgorgement dates. In what areas might we see Maison Bruno Paillard innovate next?

Q: How is the 2016 vintage looking for Maison Bruno Paillard?

Q: To finish up, give us a couple of your favorite Champagne Bruno Paillard pairings.

The Top 12 Things to Do in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Tour the Kremlin's 13 Towers

Climb Russia's Longest Staircase

Go Wild at Limpopo Zoo

Shop (or Just Stroll) Along a Storied High Street

Sun Yourself at the Spit

Marvel at the Open-Air Museum of Rozhdestvenskaya Street