2018 Paul Bara Brut Millesime Grand Cru, Champagne

Plenty of bread dough, brioche and subtle strawberries with hints of chalk. It's medium- to full-bodied with lovely, creamy texture and bright fruit. Vivid finish. Flint at the end. Crunchy. Dosage 7 g/L. Drink now.

94 points jamessuckling.com

Paul Bara Brut Millésime Grand Cru 2018 is a richly structured, intensely expressive and beautifully terroir-driven vintage Champagne from one of Bouzy’s most respected grower families. Paul Bara has farmed the steep, south facing slopes of Bouzy for generations, working exclusively with Grand Cru fruit and specialising in Pinot Noir grown on the village’s deep chalk and limestone. The warm, generous twenty eighteen vintage offered perfectly ripe grapes with superb balance, and in Bara’s hands it has become a vintage that combines depth, power and vibrant mineral definition.

Fruit comes from old vine parcels across Bouzy’s prized lieux-dits, where chalk bedrock and sun drenched exposures give Pinot Noir its trademark richness, red fruited intensity and fine structural backbone. Chardonnay, though a smaller portion of the blend, brings brightness, lemon edged tension and finesse. Primary fermentation takes place in stainless steel to capture purity. The wine then spends extended time ageing on lees in Bara’s historic cellars, building creaminess, savoury complexity and that fine bead that marks the estate’s top cuvées.

The aromatics are detailed and expansive. Red apple, white peach and wild strawberry mingle with lemon peel, apricot, redcurrant and hints of raspberry. Beneath the fruit lie layers of brioche, toasted hazelnut, chalk dust, fennel seed and a faint smoky mineral tone that echoes Bouzy’s chalk. As the wine opens, deeper notes emerge: almond cream, mandarin oil, pastry and subtle spice.

On the palate the wine moves with richness and drive. A core of citrus and orchard fruit leads into Pinot Noir’s red fruited depth, all carried by a vibrant line of acidity that keeps the wine taut and energetic. Flavours of peach, red apple, strawberry, brioche, roasted nuts and crushed stone unfold across a persistent bead. The texture is silken yet firm, shaped by both the warm vintage generosity and the house’s insistence on ageing for complexity. The finish is long, dry and elegantly powerful, with citrus, chalk and fine toast lingering. This is a vintage with true cellar potential, easily ageing ten to twelve years as honeyed, nutty and mineral layers deepen.

A superb companion for lobster, kingfish crudo, scallops, roast chicken, truffle pasta, creamy mushroom dishes, aged Comté, fried chicken or simply enjoyed as a luxurious aperitif.