In spite of his doctor's disapproval, Louis XIV preferred the good wines of Champagne to any other and the wine of Bouzy was thus one of the items in the King's inventory ledger at the Court of Versailles. Paul Bara's Bouzy Rouge is one of the best in this category of still red wines. It is made from old vines of more than fifty years in age that are grown in a vineyard with ideal exposure.\n The grapes are harvested and sorted by hand on a sorting table, ensuring that only the ripest and healthiest of them go into the wine. Bouzy Rouge is then fermented and matured in stainless steel vats until reaching its full potential. The resulting red wine makes a sensational partner for light grilled meats, roasted veal in herbs or country-style ham. Maison Paul Bara is a member of the famous Académie des Vins de Bouzy.It is a very elegant red that expresses a bouquet of red fruits, flowers and vegetal notes. The sip is fresh, taut and balanced. \n \n Producer Information\n Champagne Paul Bara is a Grand Cru Champagne producer of the Bouzy commune. The Champagne house is widely known as the most renowned producer of the region. The estate was first constructed as an agricultural farm in 1860, but it wasn't until 1965 that the building was converted to a winery. Paul Bara first started to produce the eponymous brand in the 1950s and today, the estate is managed by his daughter Chantale Bara. Paul Bara is a rare récoltant-manipulant (meaning the house produces champagne from grapes grown by themselves) of Bouzy, a major of producers here are large, corporate Champagne houses. Estate vineyards are all Grand Cru and found within the commune of Bouzy in the Montagne de Reims subregion. The deep and chalky soils here are excellent terroir to create wine with intense fruit and mineral complexity. The Bara family have cultivated 11 hectares of vineyards, 9.5ha of Pinot Noir and 1.5ha of Chardonnay in Bouzy for seven generations. Grapes are hand-harvest prior to a whole-bunch press in both a wooden-basket and a modern electric press. Each plot is kept seperate throughout the fermentation process with the white and rosé wines prevented from malolactic fermentation. The Brut "L'Annonciase se Paul Bara" Blac de Noir is produced in commemoration of a family ancestor; Annonciade was a daughter of a local winemaker who married into the family to Auguste Bara, a young cooper. Their son Jules Bara constructed the first cellar of Paul Bara. The grapes are sourced from vines with an average age of 50 years. Other notable wines in the collection include the Bouzy Brut Grand Cru "Comtesse Marie de France". It was first produced for a restaurant that has since ceased operation and now, is the reason why Paul Bara are required to add MA meaning Marque d'Acheteur rather than RM for récoltant-manipulant onto wine labels.
