80% Pinot Noir; 20% Chardonnay.

Yellow-gold. Dense, bold and forward on the nose: autolytic white and yellow orchard fruit, baking spices, and brioche. Extroverted on the palate, medium-full: empire apple, mirabelle, lime citrus. Moreish, need time in bottle to get a better sense of what lies underneath. For now, stuck in that place between fair and good or, as our friend Glenn likes to say, “fairly good”.

We (more specifically I) came into this with anticipation of Paul Bara wines as some of the best champagnes from Bouzy and we are reminded that wine is better off without the burden of expectations.  In the end, final judgement deferred on Paul Bara until we try his Tête de Cuvée ‘Comtesse Marie’.