Paillard/Bruno Extra Brut Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2013

96 points Anne Krebiehl, MW (Falstaff): "Wet chalk with just a hint of lemon is the first impression. With time, that lemon note becomes more self-assured and begins to verge into a notion of lemon oil, yet always with that chalky stoniness. The palate is precise and pure with concentration despite its poised nature, accentuated by brisk, bright, taut freshness. The edges shimmer with white pepper and citrus. A sleek, elegant and statuesque wine of impeccable balance that will open up vividly with some more bottle age. Bravo. (Jan 2022)"

95 points/'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "[$125 list] Properly mature with a fine touch of toastiness, this Champagne is rich and full even though with an extra-dry character. It is beautifully textured and now ready to drink. Alcohol 12%. (Sep 2023)"

94 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2013 Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésime is crafted solely from fruit from the grand cru villages of Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger. For this bottling, Alice Paillard barrelfermented and raised twenty-five percent of the vins clairs in older oak casks. The wines given seven years aging sur lattes prior to its disgorgement in September of 2021 and finished with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter. The wine is still relatively youthful in profile, but offers beautiful complexity in its aromatic constellation of apple, lemon, bread dough, fresh almond, a beautiful base of chalky minerality and a topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and full-bodied, with lovely depth at the core, fine mineral undertow, elegant mousse and impeccable balance on the long, focused and impressively complex finish. This wine is already very tasty, but there is little doubt that five or six years’ worth of aging in the cellar will pay handsome dividends! 2024-2060+. (Mar/Apr 2024)"

93-94 points Simon Field, MW (The World of Fine Wine): "((Dosage 4.5g /l; disgorged May 2021) Pale gold, with a lacy, languid filigree; a persistent if nonchalant mousse. The aromatic is subtle; hints of white peach and spring gardens, Mesnil rigor tempered by dilatory whispers of Oger rondeur. This pattern is duplicated on the palate: Mesnil chalk, grip, and length find harmonious counterpoint in the softer fruit character gifted by Oger; orange and red apple to the fore. There are notes of ginger and almond, too, then a quiet confidence on the finish, quinine and verbena evidenced. This is thoughtful and gently charismatic, thus capturing the essence of vintage and winemaker alike. (Issue 79; 2023)"

93 points Yoah Castaing (Wine Advocate): "Disgorged in September 2021 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter, Bruno Paillard’s 2013 Blanc de Blancs Millésimé offers a bright and pure bouquet with aromas of verbena, spring flowers, citrus and chalky-mineral notes. Medium to full-bodied, precise and crystalline, tense, rich and perfectly balanced, it’s vibrant with a long, persistent finish. In a word: exquisite! Drink: 2023-2035. (Apr 2023)"

93 points/'Le Coup de Coeur,' La Revue du Vin de France: "The 2013 blanc de blancs is built on its beautiful definition, chiseled and finely oxidative, a deep-bred Champagne for laying down. (2023)"