Pierre Paillard Les Maillerettes 2019

Pierre Paillard Les Maillerettes 2019 is one of the most focused expressions in the Bouzy range: 100% Pinot Noir from a historic family parcel planted by massal selection in 1970. The 2019 release spent around four and a half years on the lees and is dosed at 3 g/L, giving the bottle a clearly defined vintage, site and grape identity. That precision is central to Pierre Paillard’s modern direction. The eight-generation family domaine is based in Bouzy Grand Cru and is now run by brothers Antoine and Quentin Paillard. Its historic family vineyard covers roughly 11 hectares in Bouzy, with the producer’s detailed map giving 10.70 hectares. The range begins with blending but becomes increasingly site-specific. Les Parcelles is the correct first bottle for understanding the brothers’ interpretation of Bouzy as an assemblage. Les Maillerettes then narrows the lens to Pinot Noir from one old family site. Its natural counterpart is Les Mottelettes, a Chardonnay parcel wine, making the pair particularly useful for comparing how two grapes behave within the same Grand Cru village. For buyers, the 2019 vintage should remain attached to the cuvée name. This is not a generic permanent formula: exact ageing, dosage and release details belong to the specific bottle. That matters especially in a range where village and parcel wines sit alongside each other and where chronology is part of the identity. Pierre Paillard’s wider work now includes selected parcels from Ambonnay, Verzenay, Ludes and Taissy, but Bouzy remains the centre of gravity. Les Maillerettes is therefore one of the most direct ways to understand the family’s home village through Pinot Noir alone. Choose the 2019 if you want a precise, low-dosage Bouzy Grand Cru with old-vine parcel character at the forefront. It is a particularly strong bottle for drinkers who already know Les Parcelles and want to move from village blend to single-site Pinot Noir.