2012 Bruno Paillard Brut Millésimé Assemblage

The 2012 Extra-Brut Assemblage Millésimé is excellent, offering up aromas of sweet orchard fruit, honeycomb, buttered toast, lemon pith and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and enveloping, it's elegantly muscular and concentrated, with racy acids and a long, saline finish. It was disgorged in March 2020.

The 2012 Extra Brut Assemblage captures all of the exuberance of the vintage. Ample and creamy, the Assemblage is alluring right out of the gate. Kirsch, dried flowers, mint, baked pastry and a kiss of oak build as this open-knit Champagne shows off its considerable charm. Disgorged: March, 2020.

60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. From eight different crus and aged on lees for eight years before being disgorged in March 2020. Dosage 4.5 g/l. Tight-knit and dense on the nose. Really very exciting and tense but with great richness underneath which presumably comes from the ageing rather than the dosage. A hint of almond paste/marzipan. Great to enjoy a champagne that's very refreshing but not austere. The whole tenor seems to be nutty rather than fruity or mineral. Long, reverberant finish. (JR)