Notify me
One of the Greatest Meals of the 20th Century
One of the Greatest Meals of the 20th Century
by Bruce Neyers by Bruce Neyers
2014 Brut Grand Cru “Comtesse Marie de France”
2014 Brut Grand Cru “Comtesse Marie de France”
Paul Bara France | Champagne | Champagne Grand Cru
In his book The Gourmands’ Way, Justin Spring recounts the role of six prominent Americans in “the birth of a new gastronomy” by telling how they introduced French cooking and wine to the American public. Spring includes the tale behind what many believe may have been the most indulgent wine dinner ever. Craig Claiborne—then Food Critic at The New York Times—won the dining opportunity at a charity auction for WNET in November 1975, and invited his longtime friend and colleague Chef Pierre Franey to join him. They selected Chez Denis in Paris as the site of the dinner, which was donated to the public television station for their annual fundraiser by American Express. With the help of proprietor Denis Lahana, they developed the menu and Lahana selected its accompanying wines without regard to cost.
Chez Denis was already described then as “a ruinously expensive right bank restaurant,” but Claiborne and Franey built their meal into a wine lover’s dream. Without regard to price, they were able to select wines from one of the greatest restaurant cellars in history, and they chose some real show stoppers.
It’s most important to me to note that they opted to begin this meal with the 1966 Comtesse Marie de France from Paul Bara. The first course was fresh Beluga caviar, and it speaks volumes that with the entire world of French Champagne available to them, they selected Bara’s Comtesse Marie de France. This extraordinary bottling developed by Paul Bara is aged on its yeast lees for 9 years before release. It’s made from 100% Pinot Noir grown in parcels believed by some to be the best Pinot Noir vineyards in the Champagne region. I’ve begun a few meals with a bottle of Bara Comtesse, and I still can’t imagine a better way.
By the way, the other wines served to Claiborne and Franey that night were:
1918 Ch. Latour
1969 Montrachet, Baron Thenard
1928 Ch. Mouton-Rothschild
1947 Lafite-Rothschild
1961 Ch. Petrus
1929 Romanée-Conti
1928 Ch. D’Yquem
1835 Madeira (Producer not identified)
Followed by:
1865 Calvados (Producer not identified)
Hors D’âge Cognac (Producer not identified)
Wine Type: | sparkling |
Vintage: | 2014 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Pinot Noir |
Appellation: | Champagne Grand Cru |
Country: | France |
Region: | Champagne |
Producer: | Paul Bara |
Winemaker: | The Bara Family and Christian Forget |
Vineyard: | 40-50 years, 11 ha total |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Ages in bottle for 9 years before release |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2009 Brut Grand Cru “Annonciade”
France | Champagne
“That wine should be paired with a steak,” said Anthony Lynch when tasting this tête du cuvée from Paul Bara.
NV Rosé Brut Grand Cru HALF BOTTLE
France | Champagne
Bara's grand cru rosé is a staff favorite and best-seller: with its ripe, juicy red fruit, fine bead, and creamy yet lively texture, it is the perfect pairing for anything, everything, or nothing at all.
NV Rosé Brut Grand Cru MAGNUM
France | Champagne
This is the best way to start a dinner party and nothing says the holidays like rose bubbles. Please imbibe and enjoy.
Brut Réserve Grand Cru
France | Champagne
With classic notes of sweet spice and quince, it’s great with dessert. An apple-walnut pie? Apricot and frangipane tart?
2018 Bouzy Brut Grand Cru Millésime MAGNUM
France | Champagne
Vintage bottles have more grip and a bit of weight than their blended counterparts and often have their best moments at table. The 2018 Brut Grand Cru from Bara is one such wine.
NV Brut Réserve Grand Cru HALF BOTTLE
France | Champagne
Try with tender and tangy curry marinated grilled chicken.
Brut Réserve Grand Cru MAGNUM
France | Champagne
With classic notes of sweet spice and quince, it’s great with dessert. An apple-walnut pie? Apricot and frangipane tart?
2018 Bouzy Brut Grand Cru Millésime
France | Champagne
Vintage bottles have more grip and a bit of weight than their blended counterparts and often have their best moments at table.
NV Rosé Brut Grand Cru
France | Champagne
This is the best way to start a dinner party and nothing says the holidays like rosé bubbles. Please imbibe and enjoy.
2018 Bouzy Brut Grand Cru Millésime HALF BOTTLE
France | Champagne
Vintage bottles have more grip and a bit of weight than their blended counterparts and often have their best moments at table.
About The Producer
Paul Bara
About The Region
Champagne
True Champagne must not only sparkle, but also must come from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France and be made using méthode champenoise—a process that involves prolonged aging of the wine as well as a bottle fermentation used to add the sparkle to the finished product. Though wine has been made in this region since at least the 5th century, Champagne as we now know is a relatively new creation. It wasn’t until the 19th century that sparkling wine production took hold on a large scale in much part due to improvements in the strength of glass for bottles and the embrace of French nobility of the sparkling wines of the region.
Only three grape varieties may be used to make Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The chalk-heavy soils not only provide complexity and texture to the finished wine, but also act as a natural humidifier thus keeping the vine’s roots warm during colder months of the year. There are grand cru and premier cru designated vineyard areas but unlike Burgundy, there are few lieu-dit vineyards (though in recent years there has been a greater interest in producing vineyard specific Champagnes).
Kermit’s first foray into the region came in 1981 when he began importing the wines of J. Lassalle and Paul Bara—two producers whose wines we still import. In the mid 2000s, Kermit began importing the wines of Veuve Fourny et Fils.
Of Champagne, Kermit says, “You might be surprised to learn that I don’t like a goût de terroir to dominate the taste of Champagnes. If it dominates, you lose finesse. I want some, obviously—but only enough to keep things interesting.”
More from Champagne or France
NV Rosé Brut 1er Cru
J. Lassalle France | Champagne
NV Rosé Brut 1er Cru MAGNUM
Veuve Fourny & Fils France | Champagne
NV Brut Réserve Grand Cru HALF BOTTLE
Paul Bara France | Champagne
NV Champagne Brut 1er Cru “Cachet Or”
J. Lassalle France | Champagne
NV Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature 1er Cru HALF BOTTLE
Veuve Fourny & Fils France | Champagne
2022 Rosé Brut 1er Cru “Cuvée Angéline” MAGNUM
J. Lassalle France | Champagne
NV Champagne Extra Brut 1er Cru “Montchenot”
Nicolas Maillart France | Champagne
2011 Brut 1er Cru “Cuvée Angéline” MAGNUM
J. Lassalle France | Champagne
2018 Bouzy Brut Grand Cru Millésime
Paul Bara France | Champagne
NV Extra-Brut 1er Cru “R 20 Ans d’Age”
Veuve Fourny et Fils France | Champagne
2011 Brut 1er Cru “Cuvée Angéline”
J. Lassalle France | Champagne
2016 Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut 1er Cru “Monts de Vertus”
Veuve Fourny et Fils France | Champagne
NV Rosé Brut 1er Cru
J. Lassalle France | Champagne
NV Rosé Brut 1er Cru MAGNUM
Veuve Fourny & Fils France | Champagne
NV Brut Réserve Grand Cru HALF BOTTLE
Paul Bara France | Champagne
NV Champagne Brut 1er Cru “Cachet Or”
J. Lassalle France | Champagne
NV Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature 1er Cru HALF BOTTLE
Veuve Fourny & Fils France | Champagne
2022 Rosé Brut 1er Cru “Cuvée Angéline” MAGNUM
J. Lassalle France | Champagne
NV Champagne Extra Brut 1er Cru “Montchenot”
Nicolas Maillart France | Champagne
2011 Brut 1er Cru “Cuvée Angéline” MAGNUM
J. Lassalle France | Champagne
2018 Bouzy Brut Grand Cru Millésime
Paul Bara France | Champagne
NV Extra-Brut 1er Cru “R 20 Ans d’Age”
Veuve Fourny et Fils France | Champagne
2011 Brut 1er Cru “Cuvée Angéline”
J. Lassalle France | Champagne
2016 Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut 1er Cru “Monts de Vertus”
Veuve Fourny et Fils France | Champagne
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
A good doctor prescribed the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges to the Sun King, Louis XIV, when he suffered an unknown maladie. When the king’s health was restored the tasty remedy enjoyed a vogue at court. Lord, send me a doctor like that!
Inspiring Thirst, page 117