No region in Champagne has enjoyed more galvanic attention than the Aube in recent years. Quite an ironical turn of event for this Southernmost outpost of Champagne which, at the onset of the 19th century, fought tooth and nail to be included in the initial Champagne delineation.
As overlooked as the Aube might have been, it is now bursting with excitement and enthusiasm, becoming both a burgeoning hub for innovation and the home to some of the most thrilling young movers and shakers in Champagne. Among these visionary winemakers transforming the narrative for the Côte des Bars is Thomas Barbichon.
The fourth generation at the helm of Champagne Robert Barbichon, Thomas and his brother Maxime are captivating palates with exceptional champagnes that embody the purest expression of their terroir. Farming across their 9 hectares of vines mostly tucked away in Gyé-sur-Seine and stretching to the neighboring villages of Courteron and Celles-sur-Ource, the Barbichons fearlessly and very capably pushed the boundaries of the conventional champagne making techniques reconnecting with the more natural farming methods that defined their grandparents’ heyday.
For Thomas it’s not about fitting in, it’s about standing out. Standing out by converting to organic and biodynamic practices and resolutely steering the ship of progress toward the ecological future. A gamble that is enormously paying off with champagnes living up to the Barbichon’s green engagement and, in a demonstrable way, enjoying today a dramatic amelioration in quality.
I had the chance to chat with Thomas Barbichon to learn more about his family-owned champagne house, his commitment to earth-friendly methods of farming and cultivation in a capricious climate and how he is expanding the opportunities in what used to be a very conservative region.
Champagne Robert Barbichon is a family operated champagne house. You and your brother Maxime are the fourth generation at the helm of the enterprise. What does the legacy of your family know-how represent to you?
This savoir-faire is an opportunity that allows us to kick start our career with an acquired knowledge gained throughout decades. It is a very important heritage to understand the terroir and the way it must be handled.
You’re located in the Côte des Bars known for its Kimmeridgian soil (a blend of limestone and clay). How does your terroir express itself in your Champagnes?
Our soils are indeed under a predominant presence of limestone-clay. The exposition of our plots is situated between the south-east and north-west sectors, from the bottom to the top of the hillsides which gives me a variety of soils that are very different and interesting, with clay contents more or less present depending on the plots. The principal characteristic that the terroir will bring to the wine is a certain salinity along with some bitterness which, in years yielding low acidity, will allow the wines to be lengthened during tasting. It’s a shame that bitters are often underestimated.
You are one of the few champagne houses that elaborates a rosé de saignée. Is this your way to highlight the quality of your Pinot Noir? What motivates your choice of the Saignée method versus a blend?
The Rosé de Saignée is historically established in our champagne house. We have always utilized that method. Only in Champagne will you find Rosés crafted from blends. Personally, I like rosés that have an intense color and aromas that conducive to food pairing. But I don’t enjoy a mouth that is too complex with a harsh tannin finish. To get this intense color and aroma with a blend the proportion of the red wine would have to be too dominant which would lead to an incoherent taste in my opinion.
Of all your Champagnes which one has shaped your understanding of the culture and spirit of your house?
The “Réserve 4 Cépages” did not exist at the time my father was alive. It is only since we started to vinify the totality of our vines that I understood and realized the tremendous potential that some of our plots have. Thus, in the “Réserve 4 Cépages” our vineyard is represented in its totality. That allows us to offer our customers an ID of our vineyard and terroir. There is no “spirit” of our house per se. My only goal is to simply preserve the authenticity of our raw material (our grapes) throughout the entire vinification process to deliver champagnes faithful to the grapes that made it.
Since 2010 your estate has been certified organic and after the 2012 harvest in Biodynamic.
What are the advantages of a biodynamic farming method? How does this symbiosis with nature impact the quality of your champagnes?
It was important for me to find a method that put nature at the center of the cultivation of the vine. An organic and Biodynamic agriculture allows us today, with technical and modern means, to integrate the methods of our great grandparents which by definition were organic since chemicals didn’t exist. We don’t have anything to compare it with since our entire vineyard is led in the same way. But we do regularly see lower PH, better sanitary quality in our wines compared to the average for the year.
How do you see Champagne Robert Barbichon evolved in time and engage the next generation?
I am 44 years old. It is still a bit early to talk about the next generation even if I have two daughters who could, one day, join the champagne house. My wish for now is that they devote their studies to a curriculum that is dear to them. I do not want to impose anything on them. You shouldn't make a career in a profession by default. On my end, I ‘m modestly making my own way. I try to introduce Champagne Barbichon to as many people as possible around the world.
What heritage do you hope to leave to Champagne?
I don’t have the pretension to be able to leave anything to champagne. If I can inspire young people to love this job and to do it as best as possible, I will be very happy.
I hope that my work allows me to give a more responsible image of the work in the vineyard in Champagne.
What is your most memorable champagne moment?
This is not an easy question. Our work is made of encounters, of professional moments as exhilarating as frustrating. There are sunrises and sunsets alone in the vineyards which we would love to share with the rest of the world, birdsong, the deer in the vine staring at you, the hare standing on its legs listening to you. There’s the still wine you taste alone in your cellar on the eve of a blend or a tirage. Conversely, there’s the seasonal work with crews to whom we teach the job and why we exercise it; there are moments of sharing during tastings, large tables or post trade show parties with your winegrower friends and clients. All these moments are memorable because they are unique, each of them is different.
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