Robert Barbichon
The family estate, which was once founded by Robert Barbichon, is located in Gyé-sur-Seine on the Côte des Bar and is now run in the second generation by Thomas Barbichon and his brother Maxime. The brothers look after 17 different plots of land covering 9 hectares of land. A large part of the cultivated area is in Gyé-sur-Marne and its neighboring villages of Celles-sur-Ource, Courteron and Neuville-sur-Seine. The south-facing vines are mostly planted on clay and limestone soils and are on average around 40 years old, with some older ones having been planted as early as 1953. The estate has been certified organic since 2007, and in 2012 it switched to biodynamic working methods according to Demeter guidelines. Like many vineyards on the Côte des Bar, these are largely planted with Pinot Noir vines, complemented by Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and the Pinot Blanc grape variety, which is rarely found in Champagne. Viticulture follows the principle of minimal intervention. For example, a horse-drawn plow is used, which enables precise work between the individual vines without unnecessarily compacting the soil. Strict selection is carried out during the harvest, as the Barbichons uncompromisingly only use the best grape material