Bérêche & Fils Brut Réserve L:21BSA-06/24 NV
- Region
- France » Champagne » Champagne AOC
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Vintage
- NV, based on 2021
- Disgorged
- 2024-06
- On lees
- 24 to 36 months
- Grapes
- Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Sugar
- 6
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- 5 bottles
Ratings
Compared to Les Prémices, the Brut Réserve is notably more lush and expressive, with a pronounced profile and higher volume. It features a charming nose with aromas of lemon, brioche, butter, cider, white plums, and a hint of honey. On the palate, it is rounded and full-bodied, offering a lasting flavor experience.
The wine's excellent acidity is well-balanced by its dosage, providing great concentration. The lovely finish seamlessly blends spices, fruits, minerality, and honey, leaving a memorable impression.
Oh, what a lush and beautiful wine, despite being very young. It has a charming nose with notes of lemon, brioche, cider, white plums, and a hint of honey. The palate is rounded and full-bodied, with a long-lasting flavor. The acidity is well-balanced, enhanced by the dosage, providing superb harmony. With a long finish, this remains one of my favorite base wines, consistently delivering without disappointment.
About Producer
Bérêche & Fils is one of those domaines that quietly reshaped how many of us think about Champagne (at least, it happens to me). Under the direction of brothers Raphaël and Vincent Bérêche - who officially took over in 2004 - it has transformed from a solid family-run house into one of the region's most respected grower-producers.
The domaine is based in Ludes, a Premier Cru village in the Montagne de Reims, but their vineyard holdings stretch across 14.8 hectares in the Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne, with small but important parcels in the Grand Cru village of Cramant in the Côte des Blancs. Farming is thoughtful and labour-intensive. Old vines are cultivated by hand, with no herbicides or insecticides, and yields are kept deliberately low.
Vincent focuses on the vineyards, while Raphaël runs the cellar - where the approach is just as deliberate. Fermentations are slow, native, and largely carried out in barrels. Malolactic fermentation is typically blocked to preserve tension and acidity. One of the more distinctive touches: they use natural cork, not crown caps, for the second fermentation. This traditional method, rarely seen these days, allows a gentle, oxygen-rich ageing process in a bottle - resulting in subtler bubbles and a deeper, more layered texture. Everything is hand-disgorged, nothing is filtered, and the wines speak for themselves.
Bérêche isn't chasing trends or looking for glossy perfection. Their wines are textured, vinous, and unpolished in the best possible way. And while they've become cult favourites - spoken of in the same breath as Selosse, Agrapart, and Prévost - there's still a kind of humility and directness that sets them apart.