it’s not every day you come across a still Pinot Noir from a Champagne Grand Cru village — let alone one with the visionary purity of Bruno Paillard’s 2020 Coteaux Champenois “Mailly”. This exquisite bottling hails from the limestone-rich slopes of Mailly-Champagne, a Grand Cru in the Montagne de Reims region, known for its exceptional Pinot Noir.
In a groundbreaking twist, Bruno Paillard vinifies this Pinot as a white wine, pressing the grapes with utmost delicacy to avoid skin contact and extract only the juice’s purest expression. The result is a still white wine that carries the soul of Pinot Noir, yet glows with the finesse, minerality, and elegance of a fine blanc.
The 2020 vintage was marked by warm days, cool nights, and perfect harvest conditions, allowing full ripeness with pristine acidity. From the first sip, this wine exudes precision and restraint, with its pale gold colour, lifted aromatics, and a tactile chalky grip that places it closer to a fine Chablis than anything you’d expect from Pinot Noir.
Don’t be fooled by its calm surface — beneath lies a storm of detail: from whispers of lemon verbena and white cherry, to hints of crushed oyster shell and wet stone. It’s a wine that reveals itself slowly and rewards your attention.
This is Grand Cru Champagne terroir without the sparkle — contemplative, expressive, and incredibly rare. Only a handful of bottles are released each year, making this a collector’s item for sommeliers, Pinot aficionados, and lovers of textured, mineral-driven whites.
Tasting Notes:
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Aromas: Crystalline lemon, white peach, chalk dust, subtle redcurrant, flint
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Palate: Sleek and linear, with citrus blossom, saline minerality, and whispers of red apple skin
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Finish: Long and tightly coiled, with a gentle echo of Pinot’s savoury depth and almond skin
Perfect Pairings:
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Tuna tartare with avocado and ponzu
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King crab with lemon beurre blanc
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Grilled leeks with miso glaze
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Chicken with white wine and tarragon cream
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Goat’s cheese and honey crostini
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Uni or Amaebi sushi
Accolades:
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94 Points – Wine Enthusiast: “A profound and precise interpretation of Mailly terroir, without the distraction of bubbles.”
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Decanter Magazine: “Elegant, cerebral, and hauntingly pure. A brilliant still expression of Pinot from Champagne’s top soil.”
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La Revue du Vin de France: “A Grand Cru still wine with immense grace and mineral power.”
Vineyard & Terroir:
Mailly-Champagne is one of just 17 Grand Cru villages in Champagne, revered for its chalky slopes and cool, elevated vineyards. Bruno Paillard’s vines are planted on pure Campanian chalk, which imparts laser-like acidity and stony minerality.
The site’s southeast-facing exposure provides morning light and gentle ripening, preserving the bright acidity needed for such a delicate vinification. Paillard farms sustainably and harvests by hand. The grapes are gently pressed with no maceration, then fermented and aged in stainless steel to preserve clarity and terroir signature.
Unlike traditional Champagne, this wine is bottled still and without dosage, allowing the vineyard’s voice to speak unfiltered.
Why We Love It:
Because it proves that great terroir doesn’t need bubbles to shine. This is Pinot Noir stripped bare — graceful, intense, and unforgettable. A Grand Cru wine in every sense, it offers the nuance of white Burgundy with the lift and mineral verve of the Montagne de Reims. Bruno Paillard’s “Mailly” is not just a wine — it’s a window into the future of Champagne’s still expressions.
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