Pierre Paillard: Les Parcelles

The Paillard family has been growing wine in Champagne for eight generations. In 1946, Pierre Paillard founded the family’s own label in Bouzy. Today, the business is run by his son Benoît Paillard, while the next generation, Antoine Paillard, is already stepping into the company. The family’s vineyards have an unusually high proportion of Chardonnay for the region, and the vines are remarkably old. Some plots were established as early as the mid-1950s. The wines are vinified separately by grape variety and parcel. Increasingly, the Paillard house focuses on single-vineyard blends that capture the unique character of the region and the vineyard stock. The base wines are all aged on fine lees and undergo malolactic fermentation. This results in powerful Champagnes with depth and character, which are only lightly dosed in small quantities.