Pierre Paillard Les Parcelles XXI

Pierre Paillard’s Les Parcelles XXI is Grand Cru Champagne rooted in Bouzy, one of the Montagne de Reims’ benchmark villages for Pinot Noir. Bouzy’s south-facing slopes and chalk-rich soils consistently yield wines with deeper red-fruit character and a more vinous shape, while still finishing with the kind of clean, chalky tension that keeps everything in balance. The Paillard family has farmed here for generations, and their choices show a patient philosophy: organic viticulture, old vines, fermentations in barrel and time on lees measured in years rather than months. Les Parcelles is their most faithful snapshot of Bouzy as a whole, a blend of parcels and reserve wines that favors red-fruit depth, chalky cut and savory, vinous structure over showy fruit or overt richness.

In the glass, the Paillard family's philosophy reads immediately. Pinot Noir brings quiet muscle and savory depth, while Chardonnay lifts the frame with citrus and chalk. The palate moves with precision rather than force, with lemon peel, red apple skin, toasted almond and crushed limestone, all carried on a fine, persistent bead. Extra Brut dosage keeps the lines clean and dry, letting saline minerality and subtle autolytic notes linger in the background.

Also exciting: This bottle is the first time Pierre Paillard is being offered in Wisconsin! For Champagne lovers, that matters. Paillard has long been a name you’d hear in the right conversations, a grower-producer with serious follow-through, but not always easy to find. Now it’s here for Terroir Club members, and it delivers exactly what you'd want from a Bouzy-driven cuvée—structure, clarity and that chalky finish that keeps pulling you back for one more sip.