This cuvée has become synonymous with the kind of extreme quality that can today be expected from Champagne’s finest within the younger generation. The current release is based on the 2020 vintage and was disgorged in July 2023. Like its predecessor, the release comprises 65% fruit from the base vintage with the balance from the two previous years. The blend is split between 35% Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims (specifically Ludes, Trépail and Ormes), 35% Chardonnay from sites across Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne, and 30% Meunier from Mareuil-le-Port in Vallée de la Marne. The average vine age is 40 years.The fruit is hand-harvested, followed by natural yeast fermentation in barrel, 24-36 months sur lattes in the Bérêche cellar, and finally, disgorgement by hand with just under 6 g/L dosage. This is the kind of fastidious attention to detail you would expect from the finest prestige cuvées, and it shines through in the quality of the wine. Antonio Galloni (Vinous) is spot-on when he writes: “Although most readers probably associate Bérèche with some of their higher-end bottlings, the Brut Réserve is a real rock star.” Simply, it’s one of the most compelling introductions to elite grower Champagne on the market.

This cuvée has become synonymous with the kind of extreme quality that can today be expected from Champagne’s finest estates. The current release is based on the 2021 vintage and was disgorged in December 2023. Due to the low yields of 2021, the new release comprises 55% fruit from the base vintage, with the balance from the two previous years. The blend is split between 35% Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims (specifically Ludes, Trépail and Ormes), 35% Chardonnay from sites across the Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne, and 30% Meunier from Mareuil-le-Port in Vallée de la Marne. Ludes and Trépail provide the tension, offsetting the depth and texture of the Marne fruit and reserve wines. The average vine age is 40 years.The hard-harvested fruit ferments naturally in barrel before aging in barrel and tank. After bottling, the wine spends 36 months sur lattes in the Bérêche cellar, and finally, disgorgement by hand (!) with just over 5 g/L dosage. This is the kind of fastidious attention to detail you would expect from the finest prestige cuvées, and it shines through in the quality of the wine. Antonio Galloni (Vinous) is spot-on when he writes: “Although most readers probably associate Bérêche with some of their higher-end bottlings, the Brut Réserve is a real rock star.” The style is taut and focused; the wine’s natural density and texture are superbly balanced by crystalline acidity and smoky mineral resonance. Simply, it’s one of the most compelling introductions to elite grower Champagne on the market. 

Champagne authority Peter Liem writes that “among all Champagne villages, Aӱ is the most historically esteemed… Today, its terroir is still just as storied, and its grapes are sought after by winemakers across the region.” Generally speaking, it’s a warmer terrain, and though the Bérêche vines sit at higher, cooler altitudes, they are fully exposed to the sunnier south. From a Grand Cru where Pinot Noir reigns supreme, Bérêche’s cuvée is sourced from less than a hectare of 50+-year-old vines in the parcels of Brise Pot and Froide Terre in Grande Vallée de la Marne, where thin topsoils (30cm at most) lie over dense Campanian chalk. The lion’s share of the blend is Pinot Noir from Froide, with the balance Chardonnay from Brise Pot. Both parcels were picked on 14th September at 10.8% potential alcohol, “in perfect health”, according to the brothers. As is the norm, slow ferments took place in barrel, and the wine spent 72 months on lees in bottle. Dosage was 4 g/L.

The Cramant Grand Cru is a Blanc de Blancs sourced from two small plots: Le Bateau in the northeast of the village and the Chemin de Châlons plot (of Selosse fame) in the southernmost portion of the village. The vines here are owned and expertly managed by Florent and Julien Mignon. The grapes from these great terroirs, with their chalky soils and 40-plus-year-old mass-selection vines, strike an incredible balance between structure, finesse and fruit intensity. Raphaël describes the 2017 release as “ample but delicate, finishing in a cloud of chalk”. Poetry in a glass! This cuvée was vinified with indigenous yeasts in barrel and spent 54 months on lees before disgorgement. The dosage was 3 g/L. 

Driven by Vincent and Raphaël’s desire to bottle “a true picture of the [Ludes] terroir,” Le Cran was first made in 2004. They chose two of their finest old-vine Premier Cru parcels planted by their grandfather, which now have an average age of 50 years. These sites, rich in limestone and chalk, are the highest in Ludes. The blend is equally split between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir—the former from the west-facing vineyard of Les Hautes Plantes, planted in 1969, while the Pinot comes from 1973 vines planted in the east-facing lieu-dit of Les Vignes Saint-Jean. Le Cran is arguably the most smouldering, mineral and tightly wound of the Bérêche single-vineyard wines. Viticulture and vine age result in lower yields of concentrated fruit, balanced by super-low pH, naturally racy acidity and intense chalky minerality. The current release is jaw-dropping. A wine like this will go with anything delicious (even the dream match would be oven- or BBQ-roasted fish). Le Cran is vinified with indigenous yeasts in oak barrels up to 600 litres in size. The current release aged for 72 months in the cellar, mostly on lees in bottle under cork. Dosage for the 2016 was 3.65 g/L.