Grande Réserve Brut Grand Cru

The flagship of Champagne Barnaut is the Grande Réserve – a blend of 2/3 Pinot Noir and 1/3 Chardonnay. Grande Réserve still bears the same name and the same colour label as when Edmond Barnaut himself first produced it back in the 1800s. In fact were he to drink the current Grande Réserve today Edmond might even recognise it

Why? Well because a ‘solera’ system is used to produce this and indeed several of the Barnaut champagnes what this means is that each year about half of the wine produced is set aside and kept to be used in the following year’s blend with wines from the current year. The same process is followed every year so there is always a small fraction of extremely old wine in each year’s blend.

So who knows? Philippe Secondé reckons you might even find half a bubble of wine dating all the way back to 1874

Grand Réserve is a champagne for just about any time of day from tea-time till dawn and certainly a champagne that you can enjoy just as much with foods, such as grilled fish and white meats, as you can as an aperitif.

The Pinot Noir brings body and weight to this champagne whilst the Chardonnay brings freshness and ageing potential. It’s not surprising therefore that the average length of ageing is 5 years

Grande Réserve has a beautiful golden colour, intense aromas of stewed apples, dried fruits and red fruits too, whilst in the mouth it’s full-flavoured and direct with a lovely long finish

The dosage (added sugar) for all E. Barnaut champagnes is low at just 6 grams per litre, except for the Sélection Extra Brut and the Cuvée Douceur (demi-sec),

Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru

This is a champagne made entirely with Pinot Noir, but despite the rich flavour and power that you’d expect from the vineyards of Bouzy there’s no undue heaviness at all.

This is a champagne that’s silky smooth to taste with a luscious nose of plums and white fruit

E. Barnaut Blanc de Noirs is a champagne best appreciated with a meal. Don’t be shy about serving this champagne with full-flavoured foods such roast beef or game.

Aged 4 years

Sélection Extra Brut Grand Cru

With no added sugar Sélection Extra Brut has a distinctly fresh zing to it which lovers of dry champagne will find irresistible. There’s a high proportion of Pinot Noir in this blend to bring a fruity smoothness and ensure that the dryness is pleasantly balanced.

The result is a champagne that will delight the more experiened champagne drinker: pureyet powerful at the same time. Aromas of spices, brioche and stewed fruit in complex layers and a very long-lasting finish.

Best enjoyed an aperitif before a meal or with a simple plate of oysters or other seafood with a distinctly salty tang.

Millésime 2000 Brut Grand Cru

A blend in equal measure of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay selected from old vines giving a reduced crop so as to express the full characteristics of the Bouzy terroir.

The age of this fine vintage champagne is reflected in its amber golden colour and the fine, persistan bubbles.

The nose is a mix of white fruit and mirabel plums set against a floral backdrop and on the palate there is a perfect balance of freshness and depth.

This is definitely a champagne to enjoy just for the sake of it and on its own: no food is needed to indulge yourself to the full.

Ready to drink now or to keep for a good few years yet.

Cuvée Douceur Sec Grand Cru

Made using the same sort of ‘solera’ system as is used for the Grande Réserve, this is another champagne in which Pinot Noir dominates the blend with just a light touch of Chardonnay to lift the profile of the wine.

Cuvée Douceur is aged for 4 – 5 years

On the nose you can instantly detect notes of honey and red fruits whilst the taste starts with a fresh bite that blends into a soft, round and pleasantly sweet sensation.

With 20 grams of dosage per litre this is a champagne that is ideal to round off a meal. Serve it with fruit desserts ( figs and pear dishes would be terrific) or, for a change, try it with foie gras to get a really special dinner off to a wonderful start.

Authentique Rosé Grand Cru

An intriguing chamnpagne to say the least and one that’s made in almost the opporsite way to most rosé champagnes.

Most rosé champagne is made by simply adding about 10 % red wine ( usually made from Pinot Noir) to a blend of white wine. Never slaves to convention, that’s not the way they do it at Edmond Barnaut.

Authentique Rosé is a rosé de maceration: that means that it starts off in the same way as a red Bouzy Rouge, the juice being left to macerate in contact with the red skins of Pinot Noir grapes. Only later is a small proportion of white wine, from Chardonnay grapes, added to bring balance, finesse and ageing potential.

Authentique is aged 4-5 years and is dosé with 6 grams of sugar per litre

Typically for a rosé de maceration this is a champagne with a deep and vibrant pink colour. The nose combines an array of fruits scents: red currants, raspberries and blood orange to name a few.

This is a robust wine with lots of depth of flavour and yu’ll find it be a match for al sorts of flavours and can be served throughout a meal. For a real treat you could even try it with full flavoured cheeses  

Cuvée Edmond Brut - Millésime 2006

This is the only champagne in the Barnaut range that is not Grand Cru for the simple reason that the blend includes not only 40 % Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay but also 20% of Pinot Meunier to add extra fruitiness

Cuvée Edmond was created by Philippe Secondé to honour his ancestor, Edmond Barnaut, who founded the company almost 150 years ago.

This is a classic champagne in the best traditions of the region: a champagne with a deligthful balanced of citrus notes from the Chardonnay and red and white fruits from the other two grape varieties. Well balanced with a long and persistant flavour this is a champagne par excellence for any festive occasion and is bound to please all your guests.

Bouzy Rouge Grand Cru

This wine is not made every year by any means. Philippe insists on making it only in the warmest years so as to achieve the quality he is looking for.

The wine is macerated for an exceptionally long period, as much as 10 days , to produce a wine that is complete, well-structured and ready to age.

In the mouth ripe red fruits such as raspberries and blackcurrants come to the fore

And there’s also a slightly woody touch despite no oak being used during production.

Still red wine is made in quite a few villages in Champagne but none has quite the reputation of the red wine from Bouzy and in Bouzy Barnaut’s Bouzy Rouge ranks amongst the best.

To really enjoy this Bouzy Rouge at its best you can do no better than to drink it with full flavoured foods such as charcuterie and game, although it’s also delightful with a selection of red fruits

Le Clos Barnaut

We thought we’d leave the final word to Philippe:

"The Culmination of 25 Years of Experience"

During my wine studies in Burgundy under the guidance of those great teachers Jean Siegrist et Max Léglise in Beaune and Professeur Michel Feuillat from the university of Dijon, I became absolutely convinced that wine must be allowed to express the purity of the soil and the fruit from which it comes and that man’s role is to interfere as little as possible to bring this about Our champagnes are recognised for their purity and for the consistancy of their quality and Barnaut has become known as a pioneer in the development of non-dosé champagne as well as in the production of rosé de macération.

In the Revue du Vin de France in June 2010, Denis Saverot finished his editorial with the lines you can find below. After 25 years of debates, sometimes heated, with many an "experienced taster" or " guru of the wine trade" especially about the use of wood in the production of our Bouzy Rouge, I finally feel that I have got my message across.

"I’m sitting here at my desk and sipping a glass of coteaux champenois. It’s a Bouzy Rouge 2002 by Edmond Barnaut and it’s an absolute miracle. Every nuance of this delicate and subtle wine, its gentle colour, its aromas of wild strawberries and undergrowth, each one is a revelation for the senses. The wine is light yet deep and sensual. I take a look at the label....

Only 12% abv.

That’s what it’s all about and now it’s time to clear out the vulgar mass of heavy, over-cooked, and ponderous wines."