N.P.U. Rosé

The 2008 N.P.U. Rosé is the first commercially-released rosé in Bruno Paillard's prestige-cuvée line. N.P.U. (Nec Plus Ultra, "nothing further beyond") had been bottled exclusively as white in a handful of vintages since the 1990s; tiny experimental pink versions were made from 2003 and 2004, but the 2003 saw only a token release and the 2004 stayed in the library. The 2008 is the first at a meaningful scale.

The blend is roughly fifty-fifty Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, sourced from seven Grand Cru villages that the house relies on for its top tiers: Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly, Cramant, Verzenay, Mailly, and Bouzy. The colour comes from a still red base from Bouzy. Fermentation in small old oak barrels, then around twelve years on lees in cellar before disgorgement in February 2022, followed by roughly a year's rest post-disgorgement before release. Three grams per litre of dosage - extra brut.

Production figures for this release conflict in the published sources: World of Fine Wine's launch coverage cites 1,304 bottles, while retailer pages list 2,608. Either way, individually numbered. That a négociant house with an aerodynamic, chalk-aesthetic style chose 2008 for its first scale-release rosé prestige bottling tells you what Paillard thought of the vintage: a year cool and structured enough to hold up to the format's twelve-plus years of patience.