Champagne Paul Bara

The Bara family's roots in Bouzy date to 1833, when Auguste Francois Bara arrived in the village to work as a cooper. Three years later, in 1836, he married Annonciade Robert, who already owned vines in Bouzy, giving the family its start in winegrowing. 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 was converted into a press room and winery. Paul Bara, father of today's President Chantale Bara, was the first in the dynasty to sell Champagne under the family 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 an early exporter of its Champagnes to the United States, a relationship the estate says it has maintained with the same importer since.

• 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; the barn is converted into a press room and winery in 1965.
• Paul Bara begins selling Champagne under the family name in the 1950s and later writes a book on the history of Bouzy.
• 1975: the house becomes an early exporter of 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; the estate's own site describes her today as President and emblematic figure of the brand. She has also served as a partner and, for four years, as President of the Club Tresors de Champagne, an association of Champagne producers. Stephanie Ducloux has run the house day to day since 2021. In 2023, Gregory Baert was named 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 served as a partner and, for four years, as 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 sit in Bouzy, on the Montagne de Reims, and all 33 of the estate's parcels carry Grand Cru status. In total there are 11 hectares of vines, made up of 9.5 hectares of Pinot Noir and 1.5 hectares of Chardonnay. The estate says it works to avoid any use of chemical weedkillers or insecticide, and uses cover planting between the rows of vines in keeping with what it describes as ancestral tradition. In 2020 the house received HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) and VDC (Viticulture Durable en Champagne) certification.

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

Paul Bara operates as a recoltant-manipulant, growing its own fruit and making its own wine at the domaine. According to the estate's US importer, Kermit Lynch, only the first pressing of the grapes is used, fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, and the white and rose Champagnes do not undergo malolactic fermentation, while the still Bouzy Rouge does undergo a natural malolactic fermentation. The one cuvee that departs from full recoltant-manipulant status is Comtesse Marie de France: the brand was created by Paul Bara on behalf of a French restaurateur, and although that restaurant has since closed, the brand itself is still legally theirs, so the label is required to carry the MA (Marque d'Acheteur) designation rather than RM, even though the wine is made from estate fruit. Kermit Lynch's fact sheet puts the estate's annual production at about 7,500 cases.

• Recoltant-manipulant: estate fruit, made at the domaine, only the first pressing used.
• 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, per Kermit Lynch.

The estate's own site notes that before Champagne, still red and white wines were made in the region of Champagne, and that it was during the reign of Louis XIV that Bouzy established the reputation for which it remains known today; 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 is made from vines more than fifty years old, hand-harvested and sorted on a sorting table before fermenting and maturing in stainless steel vats; the estate is a member of the Academie des Vins de Bouzy. Across the Champagne range, the blends vary by cuvee: Brut Reserve and Extra Brut are both 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay; Grand Rose blends 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 is a tribute to Annonciade Robert, 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.

Champagne Paul Bara has been imported into the United States by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, which lists the estate among its current Champagne producers and describes it as one of the few recoltant-manipulants working in a region otherwise dominated by large corporate houses. Vinous critic Antonio Galloni scored the 2014 Comtesse Marie de France 94 points in a March 2024 review, noting a dosage of 6 grams per liter and a disgorgement date of February 2024. The estate is a member of both the Club Tresors de Champagne and the Academie des Vins de Bouzy.

• Imported into the United States by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant.
• The 2014 Comtesse Marie de France received 94 points from Antonio Galloni (Vinous, March 2024); 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 2026-09-14. 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