I wonder why the best sounding champagnes come from Bouzy!!
Now a regular on the Seckford list, the wines of Paul Bara continue to impress every time we taste them. This week we opened the Vintage 2012 – the Grand Millesime Brut, Grand Cru Bouzy.
From the heart of pinot country the blend is dominated by 90% pinot noir, with 10% of chardonnay added for finesse. The result is a truly exceptional-value champagne showing baked apple flavours with raisin, nut & cream. It is totes amazing – utterly delicious!
It is drinking beautifully now; however the quality of the 2012 vintage means that you can enjoy a second or third case in the coming years.
With its gold on black label, it is very John Player Special (for those of a certain age).
2012 Grand Millesime - £165 per six in bond.
Two other Paul Bara champagnes to highlight are the Brut Reserve (NV) which is a perfect everyday fizz; meanwhile for special occasions you can turn to the prestige cuvee Comtesse Marie de France.
Brut Reserve Grand Cru NV - £115 per six in bond.
Readers who want to get a sense of broad, powerful Champagnes that are typical of Bouzy will want to check out Bara's NV Brut Réserve Grand Cru. Rich, ample and creamy, the NV Brut Réserve possesses notable depth and richness throughout. Stone fruit, white flowers, mint and smoke impart a sense of real gravitas and depth. This is an especially dense, muscular style, but there is no shortage of personality. I find this edition of the NV Brut Réserve Grand Cru compelling.
2005 Bouzy Comtesse Marie de France - £250 per six in bond.
Peter Liem: named for the daughter of Éléonore d’Aquitaine and initially created in the 1960s as a special cuvée for the restaurant Chez Denis in Paris. It’s composed entirely of pinot noir and made in very small quantities, with each bottle individually numbered.
Antonio Galloni (vinous.com) Readers who like generous, vinous Champagnes need to have some of these wines in the cellar. It's as simple as that.Andrew Jefford (The New France) The essential reference for anyone who wants to enjoy and understand the ripe, dry richness of Bouzy.
Peter Liem (champagneguide.net) Paul Bara’s champagnes are classic examples of Bouzy, with a full body and an ample, fruity ripeness thanks to pinot noir grown on the village’s warm, south-facing slopes. At the same time they demonstrate an unusual refinement and finesse - they tend to feel velvety in their depth of fruit and seamless in their integration of components from beginning to end.