That’s a wholly apt description, and I am just bouncing from my desk chair right now… we are genuinely so excited to be sharing this wine! Paul Bara is one of the great Bouzy houses – longtime champions of Pinot Noir that have consistently produced some of the most pleasing and valued Champagnes to be had anywhere…for decades running. 

The Paul Bara brand started as negociants, selling wine under the name beginning in the 1950s. Things changed quickly, and for the better, when Paul obtained the winery property in 1960. It was essentially a farm, with stables, a cow shed, pens and a barn, but also had a century-old cellar, dug over 30 feet deep in the earth – with the perfect humidity and temperature consistency to age fine wines. Within five years, the barn had been transformed into a press room and proper winery, the cellar converted to bottle and barrel storage, and the Bara family never looked back. Things really turned a corner in the mid 1970s, when the house made a decision that we all can be forever grateful for – namely, becoming one of the very first Champagne houses to export its Champagnes to the United States!

This stunning Brut Champagne is composed of 80% Pinot Noir, followed by 20% Chardonnay. The grapes all hail from the Bara’s holdings in Bouzy, where 11 hectares of entirely Grand Cru fruit is spread across 33 different parcels. The vast majority of the plantings are dedicated to Pinot Noir, with just about 1.5 hectares dedicated to Chardonnay. Following careful hand harvesting of the grapes, primary fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats. Malolactic fermentation is always blocked in order to preserve the freshness and all of those classically styled aromas prized of the Pinot Noir grape – resulting in a very perfumed Brut that is decidedly generous in proportions.

Luminously gold in color with a steady and fine mousse, initial aromas of honeysuckle, pear blossom, raspberry jam, Rainier cherries, and Gala apples waft from the glass, with accents of toasted brioche, whipped cream, and spice notes of cardamom and clove. In the mouth, the dry and powerful wine bursts with orchard fruits, hazelnuts, iron ore, marzipan, lemon curd, and struck flint – a cacophony of richness with plenty of structure and a long, intense finish. This is a big, bodacious Champagne and incredibly easy to drink – and I intend to on the regular! For sheer quality to price ratio – these are hard to beat when it comes to world-class Champagne!