Bruno Paillard
Summary
Founded in 1981, Bruno Paillard is a family-owned Champagne house in Reims producing 500,000 bottles annually from 32 hectares of predominantly Grand and Premier Cru vineyards across 15 villages, with equal emphasis on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Their meticulous approach includes using only first-press juice, extended aging far beyond legal minimums, low dosage levels, and pioneering transparency through disgorgement dating, balancing traditional methods with thoughtful innovation that has influenced the broader Champagne industry.
Heritage & Leadership
Bruno Paillard established his eponymous champagne house in 1981, making it relatively young by Champagne standards. Born into a family of brokers and growers with roots in Champagne dating back to 1704, Bruno worked as a broker himself before founding his own house. Starting with virtually no vineyards, he built the company from scratch, purchasing his first vineyard plots in the 1980s. The company remains independently owned by the Paillard family, with Bruno serving as Chairman and his daughter Alice joining the business in 2007. Alice officially became CEO in 2018, representing the second generation of family leadership. In 1994, the company completed construction of its current winery in Reims, which has been expanded twice since then to accommodate growing production. Unlike many Champagne houses that have been absorbed by luxury conglomerates, Bruno Paillard has maintained its independence throughout its four-decade history.
Vineyards & Wines
Bruno Paillard owns 32 hectares of vineyards spread across 15 villages in Champagne, primarily in Grand and Premier Cru classified areas. These include holdings in prestigious villages such as Oger, Le Mesnil, Cumières, and Verzenay. The vineyards are planted with the three traditional Champagne varieties: 42% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir, and 16% Pinot Meunier. The house produces approximately 500,000 bottles annually, with vineyard holdings supplying about 65% of their grape requirements. The remainder comes from long-term contracts with growers in select villages. The house produces a range of cuvées including their signature multi-vintage Première Cuvée, vintage champagnes, and single-vineyard expressions. Their N.P.U. ("Nec Plus Ultra") represents their top cuvée, produced only in exceptional years and aged for a minimum of ten years before release. All vineyards are managed according to sustainable practices, with particular attention paid to soil health through reduced chemical inputs.
Philosophy & Practice
Bruno Paillard adheres to a distinctive set of production principles that define the house style. They exclusively use the first pressing (cuvée) of the grapes, discarding the second pressing (taille) that many producers incorporate. All base wines undergo primary fermentation in small stainless steel tanks, with a portion (20-30% depending on the cuvée) fermented in small oak barrels. The house practices extended aging on lees, significantly exceeding the legal minimums—non-vintage wines age for three years minimum (versus the 15-month requirement), while vintage champagnes age for 8-10 years before release. Bruno Paillard pioneered the inclusion of disgorgement dates on all bottles starting in 1983, a practice now adopted by many quality-focused producers. The house style favors low dosage levels, typically in the extra brut range (6 g/L or less), to preserve clarity of expression. Their multi-vintage approach (rather than non-vintage) involves blending up to 40 different crus and incorporating 25-50% reserve wines, some aged over 25 years, to maintain consistency while honoring each year's unique character.