Description
Paul Bara only makes this wine is great years. 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay from vines averaging 35 years age. Dark fruits and spice-laden, chalk with rose petals. It is very reminiscent of Pinot Noir. A full-flavoured palate with a brilliantly long finish. We paired this with lamb three ways at Merricote and it was stunning. Drinking now but will develop more earth/truffle with time in the bottle.
The deep, chalky subsoil is the key to the quality of the wines produced in the Grand Cru Village of Bouzy. The intensity of fruit and mineral backbone are born in the soils. Paul Bara is a Grower producer with 11 hectares in Bouzy established in 1833. Although the equipment is modern there is a lot of old school knowledge and skill exercised in the cellar, carved from pure chalk. High proportions of Pinot Noir are used in the wines which are ripe and intense.
Champagne
A wine region of France approximately 160km East of Paris. It is also the name of the wines produced from the area. Most famously it is a sparkling wine that undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle and is aged on lees. Although there is the occasional still wine you can find around particularly Pinot Noir. The fantastically named Bouzy Rouge is one such example. There are very few single vintage, single vineyard, single variety Champagnes (I can only name one and it was produced only 47 times between 1900 and 1999). Why? Due to the large area the region covers and the challenging weather the houses blended wines to produce a consistent and reliable product every year. This is where the growers come in. They relish the chance to show off vintage variation and small plot wines.
Pinot Noir
This is the most elusive grape. It is relatively early ripening and extremely sensitive to terroir. Its perfect place on earth is the Cote d’Or in Burgundy. So haunting are great red Burgundy’s charms that growers everywhere try to emulate them. Pinot Noir is not just a one-trick pony, it can make great reds, rosé, sparkling and even sweet wines, whites on occasion and I’ve tasted a decent fortified Pinot Noir too. Adding body, perfume and richness to Champagne it also adds red berry and floral/rose petal notes along with spice and subtle layers.
Chardonnay
The grape that you can plant anywhere, in any climate and do anything to and it will still taste like an OK wine. When people hit the sweet spot of site, climate, cropping and winemaking, Chardonnay becomes a magical wine that will age gracefully but charm you at any age. Chardonnays can range from cool-climate lean and citrusy to warmer climate tropical and overt. Oak and lees can add flavouring as can malolactic fermentation. In a Champagne context, Chard can add mineral flavours, stone fruits and acidity along with some weight of fruit.
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