Bruce Dunbar

9.1

Pear, chalk and floral nose. Apple, honeysuckle, slate and lemon meringue palate. The 23 Sonoma Coast Chard from Rivers-Marie is really crisp, light on its feet and lets the fruit shine through. — 11 days ago

Seth Masterson

9.1

A blend of all estate vineyards.
Most malo of all tasted.
Vanilla, lemon meringue, clove and a wee allspice on the closing notes.
Represents a very well crafted, expertly crafted wine but it has a bit of a generic character of 'Cool climate California Chardonnay'.
The ticket price of $95 retail is an expensive admission for this show. — a year ago

Brian S

9.4

Wine is showing extremely well but could still use sometime to age. Lemon, lime, orange marmalade, green apple, pear, some confection, medium acidity, what I would describe as a beautiful acidic, citrusy with touches of dairy key/lemon meringue pie. — 4 years ago

with Ellie

Ely Cohn

9.5

Rays of unfiltered feral Cali sunshine.

Sweet and sour citrus and toasted coconut with a hazy glow.

Like contest winning lemon meringue pie with a torched top. — 2 months ago

John Bratincevic

9.2

Nose: lemon, mousse, sweet orange, candied cherry, a tiny hint of floral vanilla. Smells very inviting!

Taste: mousse, vanilla, lemon meringue (?), mild nuttiness, smooth and silky texture. Distinct cherry on the finish. Marvelous. Great value, better than most champagne I’ve tried. 92. — 3 years ago

Amy Rehagen

9.5

Bone dry with an Incredible mousse, full of meringue. Clean and snappy with tons of Meyer lemon. Stunning! — 5 years ago

with Ryrie

Christopher Losa

Owner/Wine Director Bar Bambino

9.1

outstanding. salinity , lemon meringue, deep thyme/sage coming from a bit of extended maceration. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Tasted from 1/2 bottle. They come in handy for dinner for two in many cases, but especially at a restaurant that allows corkage. Most do in California. It is even harder to find vintage champagne in 375ml’s.

The 2018 vintage was good to very good. You need to taste and or read up for its best offerings.

A note, I tasted at the Billecart-Salmon property in later October 2022 with Mathieu Roland-Billecart. As insightful as that was, he was asked other than Billecart Salmon champagnes, what was one of his favorite champagnes? His reply was surprisingly an older vintage Paul Bara he had recently. That’s a producer question that gets asked often. Normally generates a pause with some minor angst to answer.

The nose shows; lemon chiffon/meringue, bruised apple to slightly cider, bruised pear, yellow & white stone fruits, just ripe pineapple, orange citrus blend, lime pulp, tropical melons, whipped, white cream, white spice-ginger, yeasty bread dough, saline, crushed limestone pulp, crumbled chalk, sea fossils, white spring flowers set in yellow lilies.

The palate is round & soft. The mousse is delicate w/ micro oxidation. Ripe; lemon chiffon/meringue, white & yellow stone fruit, slightly bruised apple & Bosc pear, lime pulp, orange citrus rind, some tropical melons, cream, ginger white spice, yeasty bread dough, sea spray, saline, sea fossils, dry crumbled chalkiness, caramel notes, heather honey, warm perfectly toasted toast, graham cracker, nougat w/ nuts, yellow flowers set in a field of white spring flowers, excellent acidity with a nicely; balanced, structured, tensioned, polished finish that lasts a minute and falls on limestone laced with soft, dry, powdery chalkiness.

Photos of; the house of Paul Bara, chalky caves w/ riddling racks, old wood basket press & a vineyard picking party. — 3 months ago

Emily Kresie-Harrington

9.0

2019 vintage. This changes a lot, depending on temperature. Passionfruit, lime, gooseberry when well-chilled; fatter, oakier notes when warmer, like lemon meringue pie, apple skin, dried white fig, apricot, chalk, little coconut and dill. — 4 years ago

Emily Kresie-Harrington

9.0

2018 vintage. Good example of oaked Sauv Blanc blend (even says "elevé en fûts de chêne" on the label). 70-20-10 SB, Sémillon, Muscadelle. Lemon meringue, dill, a little coconut, banana peel, sunflower seed, dandelion. Oak is definitely overt, but well-integrated. — 5 years ago