2004 Paul Bara Brut

Also recommended, but no tasting note given.||Chantale Bara’s wines served as the Bouzy reference point for many of us wine lovers on account of not only their solid quality but also their long-standing U.S. availability. Sourced from an unusually high percentage of old vines, these wines never undergo malo-lactic transformation, and it has struck me in recent years that this might be one reason that they occasionally – notably in their lower price echelons – come off as slightly rustic or brusque. (The “basic” Brut Reserve and Brut Rose bottlings I tasted from Bara on this occasion were modestly recommendable; but since neither a lot number nor disgorgement date was indicated on their labels or bottles, I have refrained from rating them.) eRobertParker.com.November, 2013