Bartnicki Pere & Fils

Gyé-sur-Seine lies in the south of Champagne, in the Barséquanais, part of the Côte des Bar in the Aube département. Here the Bartnicki family runs the house of Champagne Bartnicki Père & Fils at 22 Grande Rue. The guide Sparkling World gives 1989 as the year the business began. Vincent Bartnicki runs the estate as president of the company, a role he has held since 2010, and is also the cellar master. According to Sparkling World, the house is certified for sustainable viticulture (Viticulture Raisonnée) and produces around 30,000 bottles a year.

The cuvées

The range relies on the grape varieties of the Côte des Bar. The Carte Noire is made from 100 per cent Pinot Noir. The Carte d'Or combines 70 per cent Pinot Noir, 20 per cent Chardonnay and 10 per cent Pinot Meunier, and according to the grower ages for more than three years in the cellar. The Grande Réserve, with 80 per cent Pinot Noir and 20 per cent Chardonnay, comes from a selection of old vines and is made only in great years.

• Chardonnay Cuvée Elegarose
• Brut Rosé and Millésime Rosé 2018, the latter with a red wine component from maceration (cuvaison) and red fruit on the nose
• Cuvée Fût de Chêne, aged for six months in oak barrels according to the website

House and cellar

Visitors are received in a 17th-century stone house with a square tower. Beneath it lie vaulted cellars from the same period. There, as the grower explains, the bottles are still riddled by hand before disgorgement. This, he says, preserves the character of the wine and lets the champagne develop more finesse.

Visit and tasting

According to the website, the cellar is open daily by appointment. During a tasting in the vaults, Vincent Bartnicki talks you through the production and, if you wish, also shows you the vineyard. The house carries the "Point d'Accueil" label of the Route touristique du Champagne en Seine. Prices are given by the estate on request by email. Sales are made from the estate, by post and online.