2009 Bruno Paillard Nec Plus Ultra Extra Brut Cote des Blancs, Champagne

Restrained quince, tarte tatin, lemon-peel powder and strawberries. Kind of grapefruit and sour-fruit profile on the palate with zesty, tight acidity and a powerful finish full of details and restrained appley toastiness and salted butter. Very gastronomic wine with full body. 50% pinot noir and 50% chardonnay. Disgorged in 2022. Drink or hold.

95 points jamessuckling.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 one of the most refined and ageworthy expressions in the Paillard portfolio, crafted only in the most exceptional vintages and representing the house’s purest interpretation of Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. The fruit comes from grand cru villages including Le Mesnil, Oger, Cramant and Avize where chalk runs deep beneath the vineyards, giving the wine its trademark tension and mineral length. Fermentation takes place in small oak barrels and stainless steel, with Paillard’s signature extended lees ageing often over a decade driving remarkable texture, complexity and finesse. This is Champagne crafted with an almost obsessive pursuit of precision.

The nose is extraordinarily detailed, opening with lemon zest, white peach and cool orchard pear before unfolding layers of almond cream, chalk dust, white flowers and delicate brioche. Subtle notes of hazelnut, green apple skin, crushed oyster shell and faint smoke emerge as the wine warms. It has that unmistakable Côte des Blancs perfume crystalline, mineral and quietly luxurious.

The palate is where Nec Plus Ultra truly asserts its pedigree. The mousse is ultra fine, almost weightless, carrying flavours of citrus oil, pear, chalk, grilled nuts and subtle pastry. The structure is taut and linear, shaped by racy acidity and a deep mineral core that gives the wine immense drive. Despite its power and density, the wine remains effortlessly elegant with perfect balance. The finish is incredibly long with lingering notes of citrus blossom, almond, chalk and saline purity. This cuvée ages spectacularly well, developing honeyed nuance, roasted nuts, truffle and even greater textural depth over fifteen to twenty years.

At the table, it shines with dishes worthy of its craftsmanship: lobster with citrus butter, delicate sashimi, caviar, scallops, turbot, white truffle pasta, roasted chicken with morels or aged Comté. It is a Champagne for profound moments and slow contemplation.