2008 Bruno Paillard Nec Plus Ultra Extra Brut Cote des Blancs Magnum 1.5L, Champagne

Disgorged in April 2019 with three grams per liter dosage, Paillard's 2008 Extra-Brut N.P.U. Nec Plus Ultra unwinds in the glass with notes of pear and citrus mingled with hazelnut, toasted bread, dried fruits and warm biscuits. Medium to full-bodied, taut and chiseled, it's concentrated and complex, its tightly wound mid-palate complemented by a pearly mousse and underpinned by chalky grip. While it's introverted today, this is a classic in the making that will show brilliantly with more age on cork, even if it will always remain a comparatively lean, acid-driven marathon runner of a Champagne.

94+ points WK robertparker.com

This Champagne is produced from grand cru vineyards in exceptional years only. Rich fruits and layers of spice mingle with the toastiness of maturity in this equal blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The wine is now ready to drink.

96 points Roger Voss winenthusiast.com

Champagne is probably the most famous wine region in the world. It produces exclusively sparkling wines, and they are so sought after around the world that the name and some producers are known even by those who do not drink Champagne at all. Champagne is the model for the many sparkling wines of the world, and yet it remains unmatched in terms of taste and character. The history of the sparkling wine is just over 250 years old. During this time, it has triumphed around the world, so that today it is impossible to imagine the tables of foodies without it. Champagne is one of the most northerly wine growing regions in the world, and the cool climate allows for top-quality viticulture. This gives the wines a lively acidity that is essential for a top sparkling wine. Three grape varieties are permitted for the production of the noble sparkler, the red Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, which are vinified "white", and the Chardonnay. However, on the limestone-chalk soils of Champagne (which means flat land), they achieve a unique character that contributes significantly to the complexity of a great Champagne. Champagne is also an incredibly complex product to produce. The strict regulations prescribe a hand harvest and just as much work is still done by hand today in the course of making Champagne. After the elaborate production of the cuvée, i.e. the base wine prior to sparkling, it is allowed to proceed to its second fermentation in the bottle and transform into the precious sparkling wine. For up to three years - very luxurious fine Cuvées also up to 5 years and longer - it rests and matures in the chalk cellars of the Champagne houses, until it may delight the Champagne friends around the globe. The heart of Champagne production are the so-called trading houses - Négociant-Manipulant (NM) , 300 producers of this type supply about two-thirds of the production. In recent years, increasingly so-called grower Champagne - Récoltant-Manipulant (RM) have enriched the market enormously. By the way, 100 years ago, the Champagne was still enjoyed sweet and the Champagne Brut, the dry Champagne, was invented by Madame Pommery at the end of the 19th century and has only been the world's preferred flavour for a good 70 years.

Falstaff.com

Bruno Paillard Nec Plus Ultra Extra Brut Côte des Blancs is the pinnacle of the Paillard style, crafted only in outstanding vintages and expressing the purest, most precise interpretation of grand cru Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. Fruit is sourced from the most revered chalk based villages including Le Mesnil sur Oger, Avize, Oger and Cramant, where the deep limestone bedrock produces Chardonnay of exceptional tension, energy and longevity. Fermentation takes place in a combination of stainless steel and small French oak barrels, but the defining hallmark of Nec Plus Ultra is its extraordinary maturation. Paillard ages this prestige cuvée on lees for more than a decade, allowing the wine to develop remarkable complexity while retaining an elegant, mineral line.

The aromatics are exquisitely detailed. Lemon zest, white peach and crisp pear sit atop layers of chalk dust, crushed oyster shell and delicate white flowers. With air, subtler notes rise almond cream, fresh pastry, hazelnut, green apple skin and a faint whisper of smoke. It is unmistakably Côte des Blancs: crystalline, lifted and deeply mineral, yet quietly luxurious in its depth.

The palate is all precision and finesse. Ultra fine bubbles carry flavours of citrus oil, pear, grilled nuts and gentle brioche. The structure is taut, driven by electric acidity and a concentrated chalky spine that gives the wine extraordinary length. Though powerful and dense at its core, it moves across the palate with weightless clarity. The finish is exceptionally long, lingering with notes of citrus blossom, almond, chalk and saline purity. Decades of ageing potential lie ahead, during which the wine will evolve into layers of honeyed complexity, roasted nuts and truffle while retaining its mineral signature.

A wine of this calibre belongs at the table with dishes of equal refinement. Think caviar, oysters, lobster with citrus butter, scallops, delicate sashimi, turbot, truffle pasta or poultry dishes enriched with creamy morel sauces. Nec Plus Ultra remains one of Champagne’s great prestige cuvées for collectors and purists alike.