Scott E. Becker

9.3

[Tasted on October 1, 2025 at Home with Jay]

Plum and boysenberry fruit, with tea, sassafras and sandalwood notes. Beautiful wine. — 9 months ago

Vanessa

9.4

**If interested, I’ve posted more pics of this visit and trip on my Instagram account - check me out @sips_ensemble**

We also had the pleasure to visit Champagne Paul Bara, another family-owned and -managed winery with only 8 employees! 💪 💪

It is a small but high-quality operation, producing approximately 100,000 bottles per year made exclusively from the free run juice. ✨✨✨ Thanks to the likes of @kermitlynchwine , the U.S. is a major exporting market for this wine. 🙌🙌

Paul Bara’s wines are sustainably farmed on numerous vineyard plots located throughout Bouzy, a Grand Cru village within the Montagne de Reims region of Champagne. 🏔 🏔

Bouzy is known especially for its Pinot Noir-driven Champagnes and also for its still red wines, a specialty of the region, called Coteaux Champenois. 🍇🍇

Paul Bara uses mostly stainless steel vessels for its vinification, designed to accentuate the purity of the fruit. They also use subterranean concrete vessels for the Pinot Noir used in rosé blends and for the Coteaux Champenois (still reds). 🥂

On our tour it was fascinating to see bottles being disgorged, dosaged, corked, capped, and caged on a machine in seconds — these are some of the last stages of the Méthode Champenoise. 🤓

We also learned that Paul Bara is a member of the ‘Club Trésors de Champagne’ an association of 28 vignerons formed to promote quality wine growing and winemaking practices and to highlight the beauty of terroir, demonstrating the excellence achievable outside of the major houses whose names are globally renown such as Veuve Cliquot and Moët & Chandon. 👏

Our favorite wine of the tasting was the 2010 Brut Comtesse Marie de France 🇫🇷 made exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes 🍇 It had a richness and abundance of orchard fruit, including baked yellow apple, also toast, bread dough, yeast, and dried white blossom notes, still offering finesse and precision, retaining incredible vibrancy.

We are grateful for our visit to Paul Bara and we look forward to visiting again the future! 🙏❤️ — 5 years ago

with Deked1

Abbe Walker

9.2

Favorite of the night — 7 years ago

Fredybeans

9.0

Rubis fonce
Nez réglisse myrtille frais
Bouche mur ample épaisse et fraîche
Finale sur le fruit — 8 years ago

Nelson Fitch

9.1

Smoky and serious Pineau d'Aunis — 9 years ago

Paige Worthy

10

Whoa that's good — 10 years ago

with Mark

Mike Davila

8.9

Medium cherry fruit, with restrained tannin and acid, but almost too balanced to the point of being unmemorable? May my pallet is off. — 11 years ago

Louisiana Pizza Kitchen

9.0

Top terroir vineyard estate. Very interesting. 25 Oaked. New and 2 year. 26.99 ws glazer. — 11 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Mineral and airy. Structured and ripe. Touch of oak tannin but so pure. Excellent. — 12 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

This Bojo with a bit of bottle age is so nice. Such bright fruit still. Cherries and berries everywhere. And some nice stony minerality. Fantastic balance. — 10 months ago

Fabian S

9.3

beautifully crisp — 5 years ago

Sam T

9.3

Delicious. Perfect wine for a Happy Thanksgiving! — 6 years ago

Patrick Derdeyn

9.2

The darker side of Rivers Marie. Where all of the Occidental bottlings share red fruited characteristics this is more black fruits and fresh earth. The supporting acidity and the hours it still takes to open up give me hope that it should continue to develop in bottle. — 7 years ago

Jake Hajer

9.0

Vivid color. Needs a little air and another 5yr. A bit astringent. But integrated, tasty black cherry, blackberry and wild savory. — 8 years ago

Paige S

9.7

I love you, I love you. — 9 years ago

Michel Boka

9.2

Que du bonheur avec la nature!!! — 10 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Wow. First 15. Insane length. Jesus. — 10 years ago

Keith Pinault

9.2

This is what Beaujolais Nouveau should taste like. — 11 years ago

Jose Lopez

9.0

The splashy label gave me pause and I approached with caution, but once I tasted, I was hooked. Fruity and warm without being a fruit bomb. Strong finish with stewed fruit and a hint of star anise. I would enjoy this all night solo hit it begs for food. — 11 years ago

Charles Garrison

9.2

Lush, succulent Pinot…dark ruby on pour, dark fruits rise out of the glass setting the stage for an enjoyable first sip…no noticeable tannins…lingering finish…this vintage is in a really good place today — 5 years ago

Edward Nelson

9.3

Silky smooth with just enough tannins to make me happy. $125-150? This warrants it. Worthy of a nice occasion or baked mostaccioli on a Wednesday night. — 5 years ago

with Michelle

David Lee

9.0

Dry, savory and vibrant. — 6 years ago

Ed Lehrman

9.1

A little heavier than I remember but fully mature and fun to drink with friends. — 7 years ago

Ebbe Bonde Soerensen

9.0

Glorious Pinot Noir on new years eve, non dosage, no sulphur, creamy and extraordinary champagne. — 8 years ago

Matt

9.2

Great focus, operating on a moderate wavelength. Not the most expansive but not a laser down the palate either. Golden apple, cured lemon, pecorino rind, salty brioche dough, crushed chalk and oyster shell. Briny and mineral across the back palate. Beautiful for the price! — 8 years ago

Phil

8.9

Like a California smile on an eq - lots of acid on one end balanced by tree fruits on the other. — 10 years ago

Michael Piaker

9.2

2 December 2015. Bubbles On The Battery, Pier A Harbor House, New York, NY. — 11 years ago

Nicola Morvillo

9.3

On 13/11/15 da colombo — 11 years ago

Rachel Signer

9.6

Elegant lush, nice concentrated fruits, a treasure — 12 years ago

Marcus Maroney

9.5

Great with moules frites! — 13 years ago