I freely admit I love bubbles and, more specifically, Champagne. It is a classic, and therefore the standard against which all sparkling wine is judged. Champagne is beautiful in the glass. Watching those tiny bubbles rise to the top of the golden liquid can be mesmerizing. As much as I enjoy watching a glass of Champagne, I would much rather sip a glass of Champagne. We recently received a bottle of Champagne Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée MV as a tasting sample and are happy to share our tasting notes with you. We also have a simple, but delicious, food pairing for you.
Champagne Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée MV — light golden color in the glass with generous, persistent, small bubbles. Aromas of ripe Meyer lemon combine with hints of yeasty bread. Flavors of bruised apples gain complexity from toasty flavors in the background. Bright, citrusy acidity keeps the flavors light and the finish clean. Flavors last for a very long time. The mouth-filling sensation of this Champagne is remarkable, yet it’s light on its feet. 12% abv. $50
The Première Cuvée MV is one of three multi-vintage Champagnes made by Champagne Bruno Paillard. We had the good fortune to review the Rosé Première Cuvée MV last year. These wines represent the house style of Bruno Paillard, not the flavors of a particular vintage. In order to produce this consistent house style 20 to 50% of the wine includes reserve wines, which are themselves a 20 to 50% blend of prior vintages. This blending technique has been in place at Bruno Paillard since 1985.
This Champagne is a blend of 45% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay and 22% Pinot Meunier. 20% of the first fermentation took place in barrel. Once in bottle, it ages for 36 months on the lees. Dosage is less than 6g/L, making it Extra Brut (only Brut Nature has less sugar at under 3g/L). The Champagne spends 5 months resting in the bottle after disgorgement before it is released.
Bruno Paillard was the first Champagne house to print the disgorgement date on the label of every bottle of Champagne they release. You fill find the month and year printed on the back of every label. To find out why this is the case, and to learn the interesting story of Champagne Bruno Paillard, please refer to the excellent interview with Monsieur Paillard by Lisa Denning at Grape Collective.
Now for our food pairing. A simple Dungeness crab salad. I keep the ingredients in the crab salad at a minimum so the sweet, briny flavors of the delectable crab shine through.
Dungeness Crab Salad
- 6 oz Dungeness crab meat
- 1.5 tablespoons celery leaf, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon chives, finely diced
- 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon mayonaise
- 1 small head of butter lettuce, rinsed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
Directions
- Combine the first five ingredients in a bowl and mix – just to combine.
- Divide the crab into two equal portions. Place a ring mold on the plate and press crab mixture into it. Remove the ring mold.
- Dress the butter lettuce with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a good quality olive oil. Place on the plate beside the crab salad.
Voilà. I told you it was easy. This will make a delicious lunch or a light dinner. Serve with butter and crusty bread if you like. Thanks to the ladies at Creative Palate Communications for sending this delicious Champagne our way, especially just as Dungeness crab season arrived. Perfect.
Cheers!
Oh the crab salad with the champagne looks amazing. I love both. I haven’t tried this particular bubbly before, but need to add it. It sounds delightful. Cheers.
P.S. So I am talking to my husband the other day “The Brit” and he says to me, one of my favorite wine blogs to read is …Pull That Cork!
Thank you, Amber. It was a delicious pairing. Your husband is so sweet – that makes my day. Please give him a big hug for me! Happy holidays to you both.
Such a beautiful Champagne. Love it with the crab.
Merry Christmas, Michelle! ????