• Home
  • About
  • My Paris Flat
  • Purchase My Book
  • Wine Tastings
  • French Wine Tours
  • Contact

The Paris Experiment

Paul Bara, Grand Cru, Reserve

Aperitif Hour

19 Aug

Champagne Paul Bara, Brut Reserve, Grand Cru, NV, Bouzy, Champagne, France

I had a lovely glass of this yesterday evening and was not dissappointed. Was quite the contrary – pleasantly surprised.

This is something I waited to get from France a long time before I could feature it in the fizz champagne club!

Grand Cru (the 1% of champagne) was featured just last month in the Fizz Connoisseur club!

Not only that, this is the quintessential best of grower champagne from one of my favorite villages…Bouzy!

Let’s just say getting Boozy in Bouzy….

The champagne house of Paul Bara is exceptional and this 6 year aged on the lees wine is no exception 😉

The Place:
The Montagne de Reims boasts some of the best Pinot Noir in the region, and Bouzy is its capital. The key to Bouzy’s inherent greatness lies in its deep, chalky subsoil which imparts intense expression of fruit and great mineral complexity in its Grand Cru wines.

The Story:
The village of Bouzy and Champagne Paul Bara are practically synonymous. As the published village historian, Paul is indelibly linked to the lore of his hometown. Many argue that he is their most renowned producer, being one of the rare récoltants-manipulants in a region inundated with the mass-produced wines of the large, corporate champagne houses. These récoltants-manipulants, or R.M.s as they are known, are of the few that still grow their own grapes and make their own wines. Champagne Paul Bara is the quintessential example, where everything is done with a personalized touch.

Over the years, gradual improvements have been made to the estate: the surface area of the vineyards was expanded to eleven hectares (only 26 acres!), the winery and press modernized, and the cellar extended – and what an impressive cellar! It is carved entirely out of pure chalk and reaches a depth of over thirty feet below ground. When Paul returned home at the end of World War II, he found these same cellars raided, pillaged of nearly all inventory, and irreverently trashed by the German occupying forces. Of the few bottles that were salvaged, one can still experience the longevity and timeless quality of the Bara’s classic style. When Paul retired, he passed the direction of the estate over to his eldest daughter, Chantale, who has kept their family traditions and their house style very much alive. The Baras make their wines by hand, with low-yielding vines and good maturity is ensured by prolonged bottle aging. Andrew Jefford, author of The New France, calls them, “…essential references for anyone who wants to enjoy and understand the ripe, dry richness of Bouzy…”

Stay tuned … when I am in France this Fall I will be visiting Paul Bara!

The Taste:
Let’s first get something out of the way….Pinot Noir from Bouzy is just juicy and plump. plain and simple. This is truly a lush, juicy, and pleasurable champagne. Fully developed on one hand, brisk with chamomile and lotus-root scents on the other, and creamy with bright notes of yellow rose, white peach and corn silk.

The Facts: 

Terroir: 100% Grand Cru
Grape Breakdown: 80% Pinot Noir & 20% Chardonnay
Age of the Vines: 35 years
Soil: Clay & Limestone
Aged on the Lees: 6 Years!!!!
Base Vintage: 2011
Disgorged: 2018
Dosage: 7 g/L

 

Leave a Comment

« Excerpt Forty Seven
Excerpt Forty Eight »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Charles Heidsieck Visit – Reims, France + Small Excerpt
  • Le Cordon Bleu Paris Past – Professor Ramage
  • Excerpt Fifty One
  • 48 Hours ~ Lyon, France
  • Daily Life à Paris

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

Jan 11

Open
Goûter Paris Events 🥂

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

Sep 14

Open
It’s PUBLISHED 📚🙌
My book. 

Available NOW! Amazon, Barnes&Noble plus many other major retailers. 
Worldwide ✨JUST released! 
You can also order it through my website link in bio ⬆️ it will take you directly to the order button (preorder!) 
Kindle Version also available 

My favorite chapter is 20… Dad don’t read Chapter 16 ⚠️❗️ 

A long journey and more than worth it.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project. 🙏 
a special shout out to:
my editor @jessicanhatch 
my literary manager @zoequinton_ 
& Amy Thomas @godiloveparis your knowledge and wisdom was the icing and inspired the final touches…
Never. Give. Up. #mydream 

I wrote this manuscript sitting in cafés in Paris (well and many mornings in my apartment candles burning at 6 am) and my hope is that it transports you there no matter where you are in this 🌎 

I took great pleasure in writing this, and have attempted to make it full of entertainment (real life in Paris) and hope you will find that you want to turn the page to see what happens next … highs and lows - it’s all in there. Intensity, passionate, thrilling. 
(plus very cool graphics throughout)

Let’s pull back the curtain shall we?! 

Sequel in the works 🇫🇷📚💛

#author #writer #paris #book #published #travelmemoirs #literary #france #inspiration #writing #cinematic #vision #passion #wine #love #travel #memoir #nonfiction #bookstagram #parisfrance #parisinspo #parisscenes #francophile #writers #firstbook 
#europe #expatlife #parislifestyle

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

Jul 17

Open
Bourgogne 🇫🇷 🍷

Aloxe-Corton 
I’m staring into the single vineyard producing the only Grand Cru terroir in Pinot Noir in all of Côte de Beaune

1,000 bottles a year produced only & also tasting this here 

“The plot around the castle” Le Clos du Château 

#grandcru #burgundy #bourgogne #wine #winetasting #winetours #france #frenchwine #pinotnoir #aloxecorton #vineyard #vigneron #vin #beaune #winetrips #ootd #burgundywine #summer

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

May 18

Open
Paris Perfect 🌷

#lematin #paris #parisfrance #france🇫🇷 #mornings #leweekend #piedaterre #petitdejeuner #peonies #spring #wildstrawberries #lavieenrose #chezmoi

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

Apr 12

Open
A flute or a coupe 🥂🖤

Last week I had the pleasure of a quintessential impressive French meal shared with the lovely Director of Maison Belle Époque Hèléne Caluch 
The food was exquisite and the perfect pairing for a vertical tasting of Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Blanc de Blancs 2012,  Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Brut 2013, and Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Rosè 2012
 
The art and floral elements brought an undesirable beauty to this Maison that was captivating. Selecting my own champagne glass from the historic vintage collection of the House for “Aperitif Hour” well … 💕🥂

A huge Merci 🇫🇷

#private #exclusive #champagne #champagnelifestyle #perrierjouet #belleépoque #fizz #art #beauty #exquisite #france🇫🇷 #lifestyle #lunch #champagnetasting #champagnefrance 
#artnouveau #french #feminine #belle #inspired

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

Apr 10

Open
Champagne Week has begun 🥂

Printemps des Champagnes 

#tasting #business #importing #spring #growers #winemakers #vigneron #champagne #france #worklife #reimsfrance #meunier #wine #cheers #fizz #industry #printempsdeschampagnes #champagneweek
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Paris Flat
  • Wine Tastings
  • French Wine Tours
  • Purchase My Book

Copyright © Lilac and Fourth
Website Design | Autumn Lane Paperie