Bruno Paillard : Blanc de Blancs 2014

A nutty, creamy blanc de blancs with citrus-rind, pie-crust and chopped-almond aromas. It’s medium-bodied with a soft, velvety mousse. Almond notes linger. Disgorged in 2023. Dosage 3 g/L. Drink now.

From four Grand Cru villages in the Côte des Blancs, this pure Chardonnay Champagne is crisp, mineral and tight. The wine is aromatic with a touch of orange peel and spice. Drink now or hold.

Always a contrast to the clean-cut non-vintage blanc de blancs at Bruno Paillard, the vintage bottling is full of dry, nutty and lightly grippy Chardonnay intensity, showing a little more spicy development from 25% fermentation in old oak. 2014 is more open than the 2013, though, with bitter roasted grapefruit, red pear, orange zest and a gently vinous, oxidative streak tempered by a gentler mid-palate and bright, if not difficult, acidity. It's a drying, serious blanc de blancs set for medium-term drinking. Chardonnay from Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant and Chouilly, with seven years on lees.