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From their vintage labels to their retro winemaking practices, brothers Jean-François and Arnaud Paillard-Chauvet and their nephew Jacques Paillard Chauvet create champagnes in the old-school style that true connoisseurs love. For them, harmony is not just important, it is elemental. As such, they are great proponents of blending Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and they take an unabashedly classical approach in the vineyards and in the cellars. Farming their family’s 10 hectares sustainably in five of the Montagne de Reim’s 17 grand crus—Bouzy, Ambonnay, Verzy, Verzenay and Bisseuil—lends a complex synergy to the final wines where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Long fermentations and extended élevages on the lees help develop complexity and fine aromatics, while also radically reducing the need for sulfur and eschewing the need for malolactic fermentations. In the end, their harmony in both their partnership and practice yields elegant, earthy and aromatic champagnes with a fine, satiny mousse that dances across the palate. That they are also capable of long cellar aging is a fitting legacy for a family who has endured since 1848.