Edmond Barnaut

Editorial profile

Champagne Barnaut is a family grower in Bouzy, one of the Grand Cru villages of the Montagne de Reims. The family dates the Champagne Edmond Barnaut name to 1874, when Edmond Barnaut bottled part of the previous year's harvest. Today Philippe and Laurette Secondé represent the fifth generation and Guillaume Secondé the sixth.

Bouzy is the estate's defining reference point. Pinot Noir is central to its identity, with Chardonnay providing an important counterpoint across the range. The domaine states that it carries both Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) and Viticulture Durable en Champagne (VDC) certification.

Why this producer matters

Barnaut offers a particularly direct way to understand Bouzy through one long-established family domaine. Its range moves from Pinot Noir-led Grand Cru Champagne to Chardonnay, rosé and the still red wine traditionally associated with the village. The family also maintains a perpetual reserve that it traces back to the original 1874 bottling, giving its Grande Réserve an unusually explicit link with the house's founding story.

Bouzy, Pinot Noir and the cellar

The estate describes its work as centred on expressing Bouzy with relatively low-impact viticulture and straightforward winemaking. Pinot Noir is the dominant reference, but Chardonnay is used both in blends and as the sole variety in Blanc de Blancs.

The current range also shows that Barnaut is not limited to a single house style. Clos de Bouzy Barnaut is a pure-Pinot-Noir Grand Cru Extra Brut from the walled Bouzy site. Sélection Grand Cru is a zero-dosage Brut Nature built principally around Pinot Noir with Chardonnay. The estate's Blanc de Noirs is 100% Bouzy Pinot Noir, while Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay sourced from Bouzy and the Marne Valley.

Champagne.co analysis

Barnaut is most compelling when viewed as a study of place rather than simply as a historic name. Bouzy's Pinot Noir identity runs through the range, but the producer uses several formats—Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Blanc de Noirs, rosé and still red wine—to show different facets of that material. The perpetual-reserve story adds continuity, while the Chardonnay bottlings prevent the portfolio from becoming one-dimensional.

For readers building a picture of grower Champagne by village, Barnaut is a useful reference because its identity remains unusually legible: family continuity, Bouzy, Pinot Noir and a range that makes those themes easy to compare.

Buying guidance

Start with Grande Réserve for the broad house identity or Sélection Grand Cru Brut Nature for a drier, more stripped-back expression. Blanc de Noirs is the straightforward choice for a pure Bouzy Pinot Noir Champagne, while Clos de Bouzy Barnaut is the more site-focused option. Bouzy Rouge is worth seeking for readers specifically interested in still wine from Champagne, but it should not be treated as a substitute for the sparkling range.