Origin and History
Champagne Pierre Paillard is based in Bouzy in the wine region Champagne in France. The Paillard family has been established in Bouzy for more than 200 years; according to the house, an ancestor acquired vines there around 1768. Today, the house is run by Antoine and Quentin Paillard in the eighth generation of the family.
Sites and Vineyards
The historic family estate comprises around 11 hectares in the Grand Cru terroir of Bouzy. The vineyards facing south lie on the south slope of the Montagne de Reims. The house combines this exposure with a high and consistent ripening of the grapes. The soils are described as chalky; in the cellar, there is a balanced ratio of clay and chalk.
Grape Varieties and Cuvées
The winery produces wines from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The cuvées Les Parcelles from Bouzy Grand Cru, in the documented bottlings, are made from the 2019, 2020 and 2021 vintages with 80 percent Pinot Noir and 20 percent Chardonnay, and have a dosage of 2 grams per litre. Les Maillerettes is a single-varietal Pinot Noir from a plot of vines around 50 years old, selected by massale; Les Mottelettes is a single-varietal Chardonnay from a plot around 60 years old, each from Bouzy Grand Cru.
Farming and Maturation
The vineyards are farmed organically. The house uses massal selection, including for Pinot Noir, and describes a gentle pruning to take account of sap flow and to promote the longevity of the vines. Each hectare area is looked after by a permanently assigned member of staff. In the cellar, the wines mature for around ten months in barrels on fine lees and then for three to ten years in a 16-metre-deep chalk cellar. The alcoholic fermentation is carried out with natural yeasts; after that, biological acid breakdown follows. Sulphur is used sparingly, according to the house, as the only additive; the wines are naturally clarified without filtration or fining.
