Friday Night Bubbles
NV Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs Réserve Privée, $40 about a year ago. Wine searcher says it's about $60 now. Created in the '80s, the Paillard house is one of the newer houses by Champagne standards. The grapes for the Blanc de Blancs were purchased from growers in the Côte de Blancs, the Mecca of Chardonnay in Champagne. The Paillard style of Blanc de Blancs is soft and fine, achieved by adding less yeast to the bottles for their secondary fermentation.
This bottle was disgorged in December of 2000, and you can smell and taste the older wine here. There are clean and pure aromas of white flowers, roast nuts, and bread in a slightly sherry-like and mineral frame. Very nice nose, quite elegant. A super smooth mouth feel and an intensely mineral palate with biscuit and nut flavors that really power through to the finish, which is again intensely mineral. This works as an aperitif, but in more of an intellectual way. It doesn't have the freshness or precision that I prefer in a Blanc de Blancs. Don't get me wrong - we both really liked this wine. But I think it's better as a food wine. It would pair well with roast turkey or chicken, or with green split pea soup, or even with a firm and nutty cheese like Gruyere.
3 comments:
Wow you picked up an RD for $40 that is a good deal sounds great it is hard to find out here on the west coast and prices are always higher for the travel, Cheers!
hi Mark - good to see you - haven't heard from you in a while. i though you took your limo and drove off into the sunset. glad you're still around. i'm not sure what an 'RD' is, but i assume you mean this bottle of Champs. I'm not positive of the price, actually. it might have been more, but it was a gift. i remember checking back then on wine searcher and thinking it was about $40. COuld be wrong.
I would love a bottle of wine...
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