Matthew Massey didn’t begin his journey into the world of champagne as a sommelier or a vintner. “It all started off with Sandra Bullock and a Bentley,” says Massey. He tells the story of growing up in Galveston without much money, working in a restaurant as a teenager and, eventually, landing his dream job as a valet at the St. Louis Hotel at the age of 18.
“Sandra Bullock stayed with us and asked if she could be taken downtown,” says Massey. “I immediately thought about how the town car we usually use for guests wouldn’t do for Sandra, but we also had a beautiful Bentley that I had been salivating over getting the chance to drive.” It was a wonderful experience, and Ms. Bullock seemed to enjoy herself, but the hotel’s HR department didn’t quite see it that way. “They said ‘You didn’t have insurance on that car.’ I told them to just add me for next time, but I also got the feeling that I was going to get let go. I decided I better find work elsewhere and started waiting tables at an Italian place called Luigi’s.” His first table ordered a bottle of wine — a good bottle meant a better tip. A new world of drinks opened up before him. Discovering champagne was inevitable.
Once Massey relocated to Houston, he started working at Solomon’s, a high-end steakhouse where he began to expand his knowledge of French and Old World wines, all while getting a business degree from the University of Houston. The intention was to focus on wine distribution, but as fate would have it, Massey’s path led him to the international oil and gas industry, where he embarked on a series of globe-trotting adventures that would take him to places like South Africa and Italy. While the financial portion of his career was deeply rooted in oil and gas, Massey’s heart remained intertwined with the world of wine and champagne.
Massey found himself at a crossroads. He had gained an extensive knowledge of wine and champagne via his travels and yearned to create something unique that would resonate with the modern consumer who sought transparency and health-conscious choices. According to Massey, “There are 319 villages in Champagne and I spent 10-12 years really trying to understand the singularity of the different villages and why there’s so much blending and ultimately why is sugar always added. About three years into this journey, I started to develop a very technical understanding of the different terroirs, the different styles and different characteristics.”
Motivated by his unwavering commitment to fitness and nutrition, Massey set out to create a contemporary champagne brand that aligned with prevailing health trends. It was during the development of this brand that he made a groundbreaking decision: to include comprehensive nutritional information and calorie counts directly on the label. This set Madame Zero apart as the world’s first champagne house to provide such detailed information to its consumers.
As times change and consumer preferences evolve, the drinks industry has had to adapt to meet the demands of a more health-conscious and discerning clientele. While the stereotypical wine enthusiast might clutch their pearls at the thought of removing a key component in the making of champagne (sugar), Massey thought better. Madame Zero encapsulates the very essence of contemporary luxury while creating a version of the classic French wine. Massey’s journey from the oil and gas industry to the vineyards of Champagne paved the way for a ground-breaking brand that creates an exceptional and elegant champagne experience.
The most prevalent champagne style is commonly known as “brut.” In this category, a moderate quantity of sugar, known as dosage, is introduced to achieve a sense of balance and consistency from one release to the next. In some instances, this sugar addition also serves to mask any imperfections that may exist within the champagne. Brut champagnes are typically crafted through an extensive blending process, and large champagne houses may even source grapes from as many as 100 different villages to create their blends. This approach was not something that appealed to Massey. It lacked transparency.
Madame Zero is not a blend of 319 villages. It is a single-source product from the premier cru village of Vertus. With meticulous attention to detail, Madame Zero has crafted a premium product that redefines the champagne experience. It’s a journey that’s been marked by passion, dedication and a commitment to creating a champagne that is truly exceptional.
But when you’re setting out to make a transparent wine, how does that translate? It leads to a product with fewer carbs, lower calorie content (just 100 per serving), and less than 0.5 grams of sugar per 5-ounce serving. Remarkably, these health-conscious choices do not come at the expense of taste. Madame Zero’s champagne is the epitome of luxury, with aromatic notes of honey, fresh figs, blood orange, and passionfruit on the palate and a finish that is crisp and elegant. Massey says, “We’re the first house to disclose nutrition on the label of our champagne. And we also are less than half a gram of sugar per glass.”
Massey was also resolute in creating a nonconformist style that extended beyond the liquid. The bottle design and labeling themselves are testaments to the brand’s commitment to breaking away from tradition and embracing a modern, progressive approach. If it wasn’t obvious by now, this is not your typical champagne.
Everything was going according to plan when the pandemic hit. Early 2020 was not the right moment to enter the market with a product that was going to require in-person tasting and education to move the needle, but maybe the timing was a happy accident. Reluctantly, Massey decided to wait for the launch of Madame Zero, but that extra year may just have been his secret sauce. Non-vintage champagne is typically aged for 15 months. Madame Zero’s non-vintage champagne wound up aging for 60 because of COVID. This extra time for the flavors to meld and interact and create a unique experience could have been compromised if Massey’s best-laid plans had not been squashed.
Madame Zero embarked on its journey in the Houston market in late 2021, with ambitious plans to expand its reach to encompass the entire state of Texas, the East Coast and the West Coast. The brand’s commitment to excellence was quickly recognized when Houston French restaurant a’Bouzy, renowned for its extensive selection of sparkling wines, placed a substantial inaugural order.
Today, Madame Zero graces the offerings of a variety of establishments all over Texas, and they are making significant strides in the North Texas market. You can consistently find them at Central Market and Total Wine & More and often by the glass in bar programs that put a particular emphasis on creativity. This year, Madame Zero unveiled its rosé, a delightful addition to its portfolio, just in time for your holiday celebratory needs.
Madame Zero’s latest release, the 2013 Grand Vintage “Mille,” is an extremely limited expression created by aging meticulously picked grapes that have already been allowed to age for an extended amount of time on fine lees — meaning that the wine has been allowed to mature and develop in its bottle while in contact with sediment (lees) comprised of residual yeast particles and grape solids. “Mille” means 1,000, which is the number of bottles of this one-of-a-kind champagne. The Grand Vintage starts with 47-year-old vines and is aged for nine years. “It’s a blend of 15% Pinot Noir at 85% Chardonnay, and there are notes of lychee and fresh peach, with a little bit of white raspberry. It really is the ultimate expression of Madame Zero,” says Massey.
As its founder, Massey is at the heart of Madame Zero, and his journey from the oil and gas industry to the vineyards of Champagne is nothing short of inspiring. In his leisure hours, Massey finds solace in quality time with family, unwinding on sandy beaches and, of course, globe-trotting to further his knowledge of all sorts of wines.
In champagne, tradition often takes precedence and complexity is the norm. But Madame Zero is a beacon of innovation and transparency, and it is creating its own definition of contemporary luxury. The company’s quality, health-conscious choices and nonconformist style set them apart. Madame Zero brings simplicity to the forefront. With its commitment to transparency and uncompromising taste, Madame Zero represents the future of champagne. Massey is proving that luxury plus transparency is still luxury. “Both good days and bad days,” he says, “should end with a glass of champagne.”
