Our Growers:

Philippe Seconde

Champagne Barnaut

Philippe Secondé is one of the finest and most serious growers in the great Pinot Noir Grand Cru village of Bouzy where he has 12.5 hectares of vines and produces about 120,000 bottles a year. . Philippe is an oenologist by training and a descendant of Edmond Barnaut, who founded the domain in 1874. Barnaut, a textile magnate, ploughed his fortune into his vines, which he acquired after marrying an heiress to vineyards in Bouzy. The caves of Champagne Barnaut, 15 meters underground, are beautiful. Bouzy is famous for Pinot Noir of enormous personality, ripeness and richness.

There are several things which set Philippe Secondé apart. He systematically does the malolactic fermentation in stainless steel vats for the aromatics he gets. Secondé saves 50% of each year's assemblage as a reserve wine for the next year's assemblage. As Bettane & Desseauve in Classement des Meilleurs Vins de France put it: "The entire range of the domaine's champagnes are impeccable in their density, their depth and their elegance, in a very marked "bouzy" style." In a Wall Street Journal Online article (Vol. XXV No 118, July 20-22, 2007), Secondé describes himself as “a painter who has a full palette of colors.” The article goes on to say that “The result is seven different champagnes, including a terrific, balanced Grande Reserve brut and a Cuvée Douceur that is far more subtle than most demi-sec (or sweet) champagnes, which tend to be cloying. Mr. Secondé’s Blanc de Noirs is his real triumph, a bold champagne with hints of cassis and pepper that would stand up to a roast-chicken dinner.”

The Cuvée Grande Réserve is composed of 67% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay. This frank, classy champagne has the vinosity and generosity of Bouzy Pinot Noir in a well-balanced frame. The wine is fruity, with notes of toast, and is full-bodied. The champagne goes well with fish or poultry dishes in sauce. Burghound.com(October 2007) gives this wine 92 points:

"This is elegant and layered with distinct yeast, white peach, pear and subtle brioche notes that continue on to the robust, intense and powerful flavors that pack serious flavor authority and almost painful finishing intensity. This is clearly intended for those who love full-flavored Champagne with no holds barred. To be sure, don't search for elegance in this package, but I actually quite like the "take no prisoners" style. For my taste, this is ready now and while it certainly could be aged for up to 5 years, it is à point."

The Blanc de Noirs is a pure Pinot Noir, but from younger Pinot vines. The wine conserves the freshness and acidity and the raciness and power from younger vines, and thus is opulent and rich and perfectly balanced. Low dosage: 6 grams/liter. This pinot-noir based champagne is powerful enough to do well as an accompaniment to a meal, for instance with salmon, any seafood dish, pheasant, beef or any cream-based soup. Burghound.com gives it 91 points: "An attractive nose of fresh tiny red berries mixes with highly efervescent flavors that are utterly delicious and have a strong yeast character with a round finish that doesn't seem nearly as dry as the dosage level would suggest. Lovely andn easy to like yet complex and not at all simple with a frank and open personality plus fine length. While you could age this further, to my taste it has largely arrived.". Wine & Spirits (December 2007) says of this wine: "While the scent is chalky, black grapes give this wine a rich and mouthwatering depth of fruit. It's smoky and round, for cured meats."

The Brut Rosé "Authentique" is also a rarity. Done by saignée-by skin contact- instead of by mixing red and white wine as is done almost everywhere else in Champagne, this champagne requires very ripe fruit of impeccable color and health. Its base is pinot along with 10 to 15% chardonnay. Superb and dry, the wine has red fruits include notes of strawberry, rose and sous-bois (humus). This is definitely not an "apéritif" rosé with its powerful structure. Burghound.com (October 2007) gives it 91 points: "This is a relatively deeply tinted rosé with a fruity yet elegant nose that leads to rich, intense and detailed flavors supported by a high level of effervescence and a tight, linear and precise finish that also sports a touch of backend austerity. There is excellent depth and the persistence is impressive. Lovely and delicious and this is a rosé that is fashioned in an intensely fruity style that could be drunk now or aged for 3 to 5 years to good effect."

The Sélection Extra Brut is one of the few "zero dosage" Champagnes that really works: 10% Chardonnay and 90% Pinot Noir from the oldest vines. The resulting vinosity, richness and lower acidity allows bottling without any sugar. The current assemblage is from the 2003 harvest. The first thing that strikes you about this wine is its grip, its bracing quality, but then you notice its purity. It accompanies fish and seafood well by bringing out their marine flavors. Burghound.com (October 2007) says of this wine: "A very discreet and reserved nose of pear, straw and subtle yeast notes introduce tight, firm and precise middle weight flavors that are distinctly austere and intense though at present, somewhat one-dimensional on the nicely persistent and bone dry finish. I actually quite like this but the austerity and linearity of the finish will limit its appeal to those who appreciate a much more restrained style."

The Cuvée Douceur, made from 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay, goes well with desserts with either a chocolate base or a red-fruit base or cream desserts, since it was created by Philippe Secondé for the baptism of his daughter. It also accompanies a foie gras well. Its bouquet is characterized by small red fruits, notes of honey and wax. In the palate, it is characterized by a fresh attack as well as being round and silky and a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity. Burghound.com (October 2007) gives it 90 points: "A moderately yeasty nose of honeysuckle and acacia aromas merges into round, rupple and moderately sweet flavors that possess good depth and a sappy finish that is again moderately sweet. A good choice for those who either don't care for bone-dry Champagne or for serving at the end of a meal with fruit or even cheese I'm not a big fan of Sec samples, but this is a good one."

1999 Millésime: is composed of 50% pinot noir and 50% chardonnay. This is a champagne for all occasions. It goes well with fish and seafood or makes a perfect apéritif. It is characterized by white flowers, small fruits, honey and cherries.

Website: http://www.champagne-barnaut.com/



	Our Growers: Philippe Seconde Champagne Barnaut
	Philippe Secondé is one of the finest and most serious growers in the great Pinot Noir Grand Cru village of Bouzy where he has 12.5 hectares of vines and produces about 120,000 bottles a year. . Philippe is an oenologist by training and a descendant of Edmond Barnaut, who founded the domain in 1874. Barnaut, a textile magnate, ploughed his fortune into his vines, which he acquired after marrying an heiress to vineyards in Bouzy. The caves of Champagne Barnaut, 15 meters underground, are beautiful. Bouzy is famous for Pinot Noir of enormous personality, ripeness and richness. There are several things which set Philippe Secondé apart. He systematically does the malolactic fermentation in stainless steel vats for the aromatics he gets. Secondé saves 50% of each year's assemblage as a reserve wine for the next year's assemblage. As Bettane & Desseauve in Classement des Meilleurs Vins de France put it: "The entire range of the domaine's champagnes are impeccable in their density, their depth and their elegance, in a very marked "bouzy" style." In a Wall Street Journal Online article (Vol. XXV No 118, July 20-22, 2007), Secondé describes himself as “a painter who has a full palette of colors.” The article goes on to say that “The result is seven different champagnes, including a terrific, balanced Grande Reserve brut and a Cuvée Douceur that is far more subtle than most demi-sec (or sweet) champagnes, which tend to be cloying. Mr. Secondé’s Blanc de Noirs is his real triumph, a bold champagne with hints of cassis and pepper that would stand up to a roast-chicken dinner.” The Cuvée Grande Réserve is composed of 67% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay. This frank, classy champagne has the vinosity and generosity of Bouzy Pinot Noir in a well-balanced frame. The wine is fruity, with notes of toast, and is full-bodied. The champagne goes well with fish or poultry dishes in sauce. Burghound.com(October 2007) gives this wine 92 points:
	"This is elegant and layered with distinct yeast, white peach, pear and subtle brioche notes that continue on to the robust, intense and powerful flavors that pack serious flavor authority and almost painful finishing intensity. This is clearly intended for those who love full-flavored Champagne with no holds barred. To be sure, don't search for elegance in this package, but I actually quite like the "take no prisoners" style. For my taste, this is ready now and while it certainly could be aged for up to 5 years, it is à point." The Blanc de Noirs is a pure Pinot Noir, but from younger Pinot vines. The wine conserves the freshness and acidity and the raciness and power from younger vines, and thus is opulent and rich and perfectly balanced. Low dosage: 6 grams/liter. This pinot-noir based champagne is powerful enough to do well as an accompaniment to a meal, for instance with salmon, any seafood dish, pheasant, beef or any cream-based soup. Burghound.com gives it 91 points: "An attractive nose of fresh tiny red berries mixes with highly efervescent flavors that are utterly delicious and have a strong yeast character with a round finish that doesn't seem nearly as dry as the dosage level would suggest. Lovely andn easy to like yet complex and not at all simple with a frank and open personality plus fine length. While you could age this further, to my taste it has largely arrived.". Wine & Spirits (December 2007) says of this wine: "While the scent is chalky, black grapes give this wine a rich and mouthwatering depth of fruit. It's smoky and round, for cured meats." The Brut Rosé "Authentique" is also a rarity. Done by saignée-by skin contact- instead of by mixing red and white wine as is done almost everywhere else in Champagne, this champagne requires very ripe fruit of impeccable color and health. Its base is pinot along with 10 to 15% chardonnay. Superb and dry, the wine has red fruits include notes of strawberry, rose and sous-bois (humus). This is definitely not an "apéritif" rosé with its powerful structure. Burghound.com (October 2007) gives it 91 points: "This is a relatively deeply tinted rosé with a fruity yet elegant nose that leads to rich, intense and detailed flavors supported by a high level of effervescence and a tight, linear and precise finish that also sports a touch of backend austerity. There is excellent depth and the persistence is impressive. Lovely and delicious and this is a rosé that is fashioned in an intensely fruity style that could be drunk now or aged for 3 to 5 years to good effect." The Sélection Extra Brut is one of the few "zero dosage" Champagnes that really works: 10% Chardonnay and 90% Pinot Noir from the oldest vines. The resulting vinosity, richness and lower acidity allows bottling without any sugar. The current assemblage is from the 2003 harvest. The first thing that strikes you about this wine is its grip, its bracing quality, but then you notice its purity. It accompanies fish and seafood well by bringing out their marine flavors. Burghound.com (October 2007) says of this wine: "A very discreet and reserved nose of pear, straw and subtle yeast notes introduce tight, firm and precise middle weight flavors that are distinctly austere and intense though at present, somewhat one-dimensional on the nicely persistent and bone dry finish. I actually quite like this but the austerity and linearity of the finish will limit its appeal to those who appreciate a much more restrained style." The Cuvée Douceur, made from 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay, goes well with desserts with either a chocolate base or a red-fruit base or cream desserts, since it was created by Philippe Secondé for the baptism of his daughter. It also accompanies a foie gras well. Its bouquet is characterized by small red fruits, notes of honey and wax. In the palate, it is characterized by a fresh attack as well as being round and silky and a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity. Burghound.com (October 2007) gives it 90 points: "A moderately yeasty nose of honeysuckle and acacia aromas merges into round, rupple and moderately sweet flavors that possess good depth and a sappy finish that is again moderately sweet. A good choice for those who either don't care for bone-dry Champagne or for serving at the end of a meal with fruit or even cheese I'm not a big fan of Sec samples, but this is a good one." 1999 Millésime: is composed of 50% pinot noir and 50% chardonnay. This is a champagne for all occasions. It goes well with fish and seafood or makes a perfect apéritif. It is characterized by white flowers, small fruits, honey and cherries. Website: http://www.champagne-barnaut.com/