Champagne Paul Bara

Auguste Francois Bara arrived in Bouzy in 1833 to work as a cooper. In 1836 he married Annonciade Robert, who already owned vines in the village, and the family's winegrowing began. The current property was built in 1860 as a farm with stables, a cow shed, a sheep pen and a cellar; in 1965 the barn became a press room and winery. Paul Bara, father of today's President Chantale Bara, was the first of the family to sell Champagne under its own name, beginning in the 1950s. He also wrote a book on the history of Bouzy, its people, wines and culture. In 1975 the house became one of the first to export its Champagnes to the United States, and it still works with the same US importer.

• 1833: Auguste Francois Bara arrives in Bouzy as a cooper; in 1836 he marries Annonciade Robert, who already owns vines there.
• 1860: the Bara property is built as a farm; in 1965 the barn becomes a press room and winery.
• 1950s: Paul Bara begins selling Champagne under the family name; he later writes a book on the history of Bouzy.
• 1975: the house becomes one of the first to export its Champagnes to the United States.

Chantale Bara, the sixth generation of the family, began assisting her father in 1980 and became co-manager of the business in 1986. Today she is President of the house. She has also been a partner and, for four years, President of the Club Tresors de Champagne, an association. Stephanie Ducloux has run the house alongside her since 2021. In 2023 Gregory Baert became winemaker, succeeding Christian Forget, who retired after more than 30 years in the cellar.

• Chantale Bara: sixth generation; assisted from 1980, co-manager from 1986, now President.
• Chantale Bara has also been a partner and, for four years, President of the Club Tresors de Champagne.
• Stephanie Ducloux has run the house since 2021.
• Gregory Baert became winemaker in 2023, succeeding Christian Forget after more than 30 years in the role.

The Paul Bara vineyards lie in Bouzy, on the Montagne de Reims, and all 33 of the estate's parcels have Grand Cru status. The 11 hectares of vines are 9.5 hectares of Pinot Noir and 1.5 hectares of Chardonnay. The estate avoids chemical weedkillers and insecticides, and in keeping with ancestral tradition it plants cover crops between the rows of vines. In 2020 the house received HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) and VDC (Viticulture Durable en Champagne) certification.

• 11 hectares: 9.5 hectares of Pinot Noir, 1.5 hectares of Chardonnay, all 33 parcels Grand Cru in Bouzy.
• No chemical weedkillers or insecticides; cover planting between vine rows.
• HVE and VDC certified in 2020.

Paul Bara is a recoltant-manipulant, growing its own grapes and making its own wine. Only the first pressing of the grapes is used. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks; the white and rose Champagnes do not undergo malolactic fermentation, while the still Bouzy Rouge undergoes a natural malolactic fermentation. One cuvee departs from recoltant-manipulant labelling: Comtesse Marie de France. Paul Bara created the brand on behalf of a French restaurateur, and although the restaurant has closed, the brand technically still belongs to it, so the label carries MA (Marque d'Acheteur) rather than RM, even though the wine is made from estate fruit by Champagne Paul Bara. Annual production is about 7,500 cases.

• Recoltant-manipulant: estate grapes, estate-made wine, first pressing only.
• Temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation; no malolactic fermentation for white and rose cuvees, natural malolactic fermentation for Bouzy Rouge.
• Comtesse Marie de France carries an MA label because the brand was created for, and technically still belongs to, a now-closed French restaurant.
• Annual production is about 7,500 cases.

Before Champagne, still red and white wines were made in the region, and Bouzy established its reputation during the reign of Louis XIV. Despite his doctor's disapproval, Louis XIV preferred the wines of Champagne to any other, and Bouzy wine was one of the items in the King's inventory ledger at the Court of Versailles. Paul Bara's Bouzy Rouge comes from vines more than fifty years old; the grapes are harvested and sorted by hand on a sorting table, and the wine ferments and matures in stainless steel vats. The estate is a member of the Academie des Vins de Bouzy. The Champagne blends vary by cuvee: Brut Reserve and Extra Brut are both 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay; Grand Rose is 70% Pinot Noir, 18% Chardonnay and 12% Bouzy Rouge; Grand Millesime is 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay; Special Club is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay; Special Club Rose adds 5% Bouzy Rouge to a 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay base; Comtesse Marie de France and Annonciade are both 100% Pinot Noir blanc de noirs; and L'Audacieuse is a 100% Chardonnay blanc de blancs. Annonciade pays homage to Annonciade Robert, a Bara family ancestor, whose son Jules Bara built the family's first Champagne cellar.

• Bouzy Rouge: still red wine from vines over fifty years old, hand-harvested and sorted, matured in stainless steel.
• Brut Reserve and Extra Brut: 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay.
• Grand Rose: 70% Pinot Noir, 18% Chardonnay, 12% Bouzy Rouge.
• Grand Millesime: 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. Special Club: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. Special Club Rose adds 5% Bouzy Rouge.
• Comtesse Marie de France and Annonciade: 100% Pinot Noir. L'Audacieuse: 100% Chardonnay blanc de blancs.

The estate's distributor in the United States is Kermit Lynch, of Berkeley, California. Kermit Lynch describes the estate as one of the few recoltant-manipulants in a region otherwise dominated by large corporate houses. Antonio Galloni of Vinous scored the 2014 Comtesse Marie de France 94 points in March 2024; that bottling has a dosage of 6 grams per liter and was disgorged in February 2024. The estate belongs to both the Club Tresors de Champagne and the Academie des Vins de Bouzy.

• US distributor: Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, California.
• Antonio Galloni (Vinous, March 2024) scored the 2014 Comtesse Marie de France 94 points; dosage 6 g/L, disgorged February 2024.
• Member of the Club Tresors de Champagne and the Academie des Vins de Bouzy.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/our-savoir-faire/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/the-vineyard/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/bara-grand-cru-champagnes/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/le-bouzy-rouge-2/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/bara-grand-cru-champagnes/brut-reserve/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/bara-grand-cru-champagnes/extra-brut-2/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/bara-grand-cru-champagnes/grand-rose/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/bara-grand-cru-champagnes/grand-millesime/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/bara-grand-cru-champagnes/special-club/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/bara-grand-cru-champagnes/special-club-rose/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/bara-grand-cru-champagnes/comtesse-marie-de-france/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/bara-grand-cru-champagnes/annonciade/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/bara-grand-cru-champagnes/laudacieuse/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/where-to-find-us/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/contact-us/, https://www.champagnepaulbara.com/en/news/. Secondary sources: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant producer fact sheet (kermitlynch.com/files/champagne-paul-bara.pdf), Napa Valley Winery Exchange reproducing an Antonio Galloni / Vinous tasting note (March 2024), Club Tresors de Champagne member page. Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Spot something off? Submit a correction: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdM0MsYoQFCpXb4qbSPVM2TBRuC2624pOhrffs7IGhpfGCCQA/viewform