The current release widely available in the market of Philippe Secondé’s Champagne Barnaut “Grande Réserve” non-vintage Brut was disgorged in June of 2018 and is composed of its customary blend of two-thirds pinot noir and one-third chardonnay. It was finished with a dosage of six grams per liter and hails from the base year of 2014, though with its customary portion of reserve wine from the solera started by the original Monsieur Barnaut all the way back in the nineteenth century and refreshed every year since that time. The wine is excellent on the nose, wafting from the glass in a refined blend of apple, white peach, patissière, chalky soil tones, gentle floral tones and a whiff of fresh-baked bread in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a fine core, elegant mousse, bright acids and a long, classy and quite open finish. This has the generosity of Bouzy, while still staying impressively light on its feet and vivacious in personality. It is a first class non-vintage Brut.
2019-2045+. 91.