Even if most Champagne houses in a region as rich in tradition as Champagne can look back on a history stretching back over many decades, even centuries, there is still room for a start-up, if you start it and drive it forward with as much commitment as Bruno Paillard.
Of course, he was no stranger to Champagne, being the scion of a family that has been buying and selling grapes or wine on behalf of the major Champagne houses since 1704. They did not produce Champagne themselves until Bruno Paillard discovered his love for this aspect of winemaking.
In 1981, at the age of 27, he founded his own Champagne house, which is one of the few companies where the name giver is also the patron of the house. This is historically significant because it was Champagne's first company foundation in 100 years. He produced his first Champagnes more or less in a shed. However, they caused such a sensation that the name Paillard quickly became an insider tip worldwide. But that alone was not enough for him.
In 1990, he moved production to his own state-of-the-art winery. In addition, he bought parcels of land on the Côte des Blancs, which would make him independent of grape growers and give him even greater and better control over quality. To this day, production has not grown significantly; just 500,000 bottles can be produced here annually.
Bruno Paillard is one of those people who have understood that a healthy soil produces better qualities. That's why he has converted his parcels, little by little, to organic viticulture. And these qualities enable him and his daughter Alice, who now runs the company with the same commitment as her father, to bottle all Champagnes with a dosage of less than six grams per liter, which means his "Bruts" are actually "Extra Bruts", even if that's not on the label.
