Hello Dimitri,

Even in such well-known areas as the Champagne There are still sub-appellations that hardly anyone knows about, which is of course also due to the fact that for a long time the Lighthouse Vineyards have been lacking. This has changed in the Coteaux du Morin as well as in Montgueux, and also in the Sézannais - often also Côte de Sézanne is doing quite a bit. One winery in particular stands out, which is the subject of the following.

Champagne Barrat-Masson

The Barrat-Masson vineyard is located in the Sézannais. And this sub-appellation in turn is found below the Côte des Blancs, not far from the Coteaux du Morin, where Champagne Jeaunaux-Robin is based. Champagne Barrat-Masson was founded by Loïc Barrat and his wife Aurélie Masson in 2010. Loïc's family owns around seven hectares of vineyards there. The fruit was sold to the cooperative at the time, as is generally the case. But the Winemaker Loïc and oenologist Aurélie wanted to do things differently. They wanted to produce organic grapes and vinify them themselves. So even before founding the house, they converted the vineyards to organic and obtained their certification in 2012. In 2013, their first champagne came onto the market.
Winemaker Loïc and oenologist Aurélie

The Côte de Sézanne and Villenauxe-la-Grande

With their vineyards, the two represent the typical composition of grape varieties in the region. Around the main town of Sézanne, there are eleven other villages with a total of just under 1,500 hectares, on which around 77 % Chardonnay and 18 % Pinot Noir grow - at Barrat-Masson it is 90 % and 10 %. The rest of the few hectares are divided between 4.7 % Meunier and other rare varieties. The family's vineyards are almost all around Villenauxe-la-Grande. As the name suggests, the village is one of the larger ones on the Côte. The vineyards of the commune of Villenauxe-la-Grande are located on both sides of the village, to the west and to the east, and they are essentially south-facing.
classic champagne basket press
Villenauxe-la-Grande was not included in the Champagne appellation until 1970 - another reason why the four sub-appellations mentioned are still much less well-known than the long-established ones. Of course, the village has a longer wine-growing history. At the beginning of the 19th century, there were around 300 winegrowers, but gradually viticulture was displaced by other crops, and at the beginning of the 20th century, viticulture disappeared after the phylloxera disaster.
The Barrats were among the first to plant vines again, which is why the age of the vineyards around 50 years amounts.
bottles of champagne matured in the cellar of barrat mason
Even though the scale of crus for Champagne, i.e. the Échelle des Crus, is no longer really current or in focus today, Villenauxe-la-Grande was nevertheless highly rated for its Chardonnay and Pinot quality with 87 % and 85 % - just below the 90 % required for the 1er Cru. The appellation's potential lies above all in the heavily chalky soils, which are not quite as pure as in the Côte des Blancs, for example. The somewhat more southerly location also contributes to the fact that the Blanc de Blancs here are a little more tropical than in Vertus or in Le Mesnil. They are more reminiscent of Chouilly and Vazart-Coquart, where the Grand Cru character is more pronounced.

Organic in the vineyard, low intervention in the winery

Aurélie and Loïc have very clear areas of work. Loïc is the man in the vineyard who provides the basis for Aurélie's work. Over the last few years, the two have rebuilt the winery so that they can work as gently as possible. From the pressing with classic Coquard presses, 90 % of the Cœur de Cuvée is used. The wine is then matured in stainless steel tanks or oak barrels. Aurélie also ferments the grapes accordingly. If the wine matures in stainless steel, it is also fermented in stainless steel. If the wine matures in wood, it is fermented in wood accordingly. There is no clarification and no filtering; malolactic fermentation is suppressed or allowed as needed. The champagnes lie on organic yeasts in the cellar for at least 30 months before they are à la voléeThe grapes are disgorged by hand. There is hardly any dosage at all. Even the Grain d'argile, which is still called Extra Brut, has not been dosed for years.

The champagne

The champagnes from Barrat-Masson are very clearly structured and mineral. From the very first presentations of their champagnes at the Printemps de Champagne, where they exhibit in the Des Pieds & des Vins group, the precision of their wines was quickly recognised. If wood is used, it is obvious.
champagne grapes at barrat masson
This is the case with the Cuvée Les Volies, where the base wine - 55 % Chardonnay and 45 % Pinot Noir - is matured in 600-litre tonneaux for around nine months on the full lees. The Grain d'argile, also a cuvée of 55 % Chardonnay and 45 % Pinot Noir, as well as the Blanc de Blancs Les Margannes have only about 30 % of wood, the Blanc de Blancs fleur de craie only 15 %. With the Blanc de Blancs, the differences in the use of wood can be seen very clearly. The Fleur de Craie is exotic and fruity-sweet at the same time as being very dry on the palate, full-bodied and chalky. Les Margannes offers a little more volume, seems rounder, silkier and a little more voluminous.
Text and wine expertise: Christoph Raffelt

Barrat-Masson Tasting Pack

The Côte de Sézanne is located south of the Côte des Blancs and has similar chalk structures. Nevertheless, the terroir is different from that of its neighbour. Loïc Barrat and Aurélie Masson show this impressively in their four Champagnes. There are two different Blanc de Blancs and two Chardonnay-Pinot cuvées each, which show a whole range of interpretations..
Barrat-Masson 2022 Tasting Package - Tasting Package

The Tasting package (there are only 30 pieces) consists of:


  • Grain d'Argile 2017 & 2018 Extra Brut
  • Fleur de Craie Brut Nature 2017
  • Les Margannes Brut Nature 2016
  • Les Volies Brut Nature 2017
Thank you very much & best regards,

Dimitri Taits
livingwines.com