Barnaut
Champagne Barnaut is history in a glass. Barnaut was among the region's very first grower-producers, established in 1874 (16 years before Vilmart). Edmond Barnaut and his wife Appoline Godmé-Barancourt noticed the money pouring into the... Read More
Champagne Barnaut is history in a glass. Barnaut was among the region's very first grower-producers, established in 1874 (16 years before Vilmart). Edmond Barnaut and his wife Appoline Godmé-Barancourt noticed the money pouring into the powerful Maisons and decided to take a piece of the pie for themselves.
The Barnauts had the raw material to make incredible wines — their grand cru holdings in Bouzy, on Le Grande Montagne, have been prized for centuries. The clay over limestone soils were perfect for Pinot Noir, and the south-facing slopes meant optimal ripeness in nearly every vintage.
And here's where things get really interesting.
A big part of what distinguishes Champagne is its reliance on blending. Different grapes, plots, and villages from the current harvest are blended, often with back vintages, to create a harmonious, complex, consistent “house style”.
Those back vintages are key. They help buff out the edges of the poorer vintages, and aging wine makes it more complex and cohesive, boosting quality. A house like Krug has hundreds of barrels of vintages going back decades, and a master blender who uses bits of their contents like a spice rack to craft and shape their luxurious wines.
But holding on to some of your harvest is an expensive investment, as are the extra barrels and space needed to store them. This is the privilege afforded to the houses, who have the resources necessary. Even to this day, it's what gives them a leg up over many growers.
Barnaut knew this and needed a solution that would allow him to compete with the big boys. He tweaked the idea, and committed to a different form of reserve wine: the perpetual cuvée. Every year, he held back 50% of his harvest, leaving it to age in barrel. The next vintage, 50% of the barrel’s contents was replaced by the current vintage. The reserve wine made up a whopping 50% of his current non-vintage blend, a much greater proportion than most Champagnes contain.
It also meant that within 5 years he had a barrel made up of 5 back vintages, slowly maturing, gaining complexity. The non-vintage wines just got better and better right along with it.
That was 150 years ago.
Not much has changed in all that time and that reserve is still… in reserve. In the 60s and 70s the barrels were replaced by stainless steel tanks (easier to keep sanitary). A few more parcels in neighboring Ambonnay and Louvois were purchased. Philippe Secondé, a very talented fifth-generation winemaker, is now in charge and he’s committed to sustainable farming.
The Barnauts had the raw material to make incredible wines — their grand cru holdings in Bouzy, on Le Grande Montagne, have been prized for centuries. The clay over limestone soils were perfect for Pinot Noir, and the south-facing slopes meant optimal ripeness in nearly every vintage.
And here's where things get really interesting.
A big part of what distinguishes Champagne is its reliance on blending. Different grapes, plots, and villages from the current harvest are blended, often with back vintages, to create a harmonious, complex, consistent “house style”.
Those back vintages are key. They help buff out the edges of the poorer vintages, and aging wine makes it more complex and cohesive, boosting quality. A house like Krug has hundreds of barrels of vintages going back decades, and a master blender who uses bits of their contents like a spice rack to craft and shape their luxurious wines.
But holding on to some of your harvest is an expensive investment, as are the extra barrels and space needed to store them. This is the privilege afforded to the houses, who have the resources necessary. Even to this day, it's what gives them a leg up over many growers.
Barnaut knew this and needed a solution that would allow him to compete with the big boys. He tweaked the idea, and committed to a different form of reserve wine: the perpetual cuvée. Every year, he held back 50% of his harvest, leaving it to age in barrel. The next vintage, 50% of the barrel’s contents was replaced by the current vintage. The reserve wine made up a whopping 50% of his current non-vintage blend, a much greater proportion than most Champagnes contain.
It also meant that within 5 years he had a barrel made up of 5 back vintages, slowly maturing, gaining complexity. The non-vintage wines just got better and better right along with it.
That was 150 years ago.
Not much has changed in all that time and that reserve is still… in reserve. In the 60s and 70s the barrels were replaced by stainless steel tanks (easier to keep sanitary). A few more parcels in neighboring Ambonnay and Louvois were purchased. Philippe Secondé, a very talented fifth-generation winemaker, is now in charge and he’s committed to sustainable farming.