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. — 22 days ago

Allison Heilman

9.3

Broadening my horizons and so very glad I did. Echos of burgundy but all it’s own at the same time. A wine that makes you pause and think. — a year ago

Severn Goodwin

9.4

Notes are cumbersome, so no notes today but plus side, scores are honest and I should be a professional reviewer, LOL. (This wine was crazy, one of the best Gamay I've had...)

On the Lawn at Tanglewood this final afternoon with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our guest conductor Michael Tilson Thomas is leading IVES (Psalm 90) and BEETHOVEN (Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125).

After a two-year pause, we arrive again to the day when Beethoven concludes on these hallowed grounds. The 9th by Beethoven is always bittersweet for us, as it marks the end of the official Symphony and Pops season for the BSO at their Summer home. It is a wonderful and singularly emotive piece moved with the full force of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (110+) conveying the message of a divine spark of joy that makes all people one. The music and the day almost bring me to tears on an annual basis...
'Freude, schöner Götterfunken!' / 'Joy, beauteous, godly spark!' — 3 years ago

Ericsson

9.1

They say 6 of every 10 Michelin star restaurants in Spain carry wine by this producer. Can’t really confirm that, but I can tell you: it doesn’t just sit in your glass; it transports you. This isn’t a wine for sipping in sterile silence. It’s for spilling on a sun-drenched table, between bites of pulpo a la gallega and the laughter of people who know how to live. It’s Galicia in liquid form—wild, rugged, and unapologetically itself.

There’s a sharp, bracing acidity that wakes you up like a cold Atlantic plunge. Then come the flavors: lemon zest, green apple, and maybe a hint of peach that’s just ripe enough to make you pause. Underneath it all, there’s that minerality—like licking a rock (the good kind). It’s clean, it’s crisp, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
— 3 months ago

Katie Ross

10

WOW I loved this. Merlot granache gamay. Carbonic maceration minerality and amazing. Will buy all bottles — 7 months ago

Timothy Lynch

9.0

A stained cork from bottom to top gave me pause. Phew! All good. Dusty notes dominate early on with stewed plumbs and Aussie scrub (underbrush) not far behind. Let’s see where we are in an hour. Sixty minutes on firmly delivers with a weighty 65% Cab Sauv with, dare I say it, a slight nod to Napa. Chewy tannins with continuous dust rounds it all out. I like this wine. As to down the road…I think we’ve arrived au point. — 3 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

8.9

An interesting Chard sourced from multiple sourcing in Napa Valley; Atlas Peak, Carneros, Coombsville and Oak Knoll, which makes a great integration and translating to your sense and palate a mild-intense style. However; this wine spent around 9 months with sur lies on wood barrels. Complex enough to pause and do multiple sips to appreciate it. Floral and white peach on the nose, the oaky notes are a bit too palpable from the very beginning. Nice acidity and intense mouthfeel with spices and vanilla combined. — 2 months ago

jochen rueckert

8.9

Pretty nice. Little bit boring — 6 months ago

Nancy Bernstein

9.0

Luscious example of a Bordeaux blend with elegance and sensuality to allow you to pause from day to day life, relax@and enjoy — 2 years ago

romo

9.2

Yes, high-pitched, bright, 09, cherry, ginger, pause, purple, zing, acid, acid. — 3 years ago