Bérêche & Fils Reflet d'Antan (2016) NV
- Region
- France » Champagne » Champagne AOC
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Vintage
- NV, based on 2016
- Disgorged
- 2020-12
- On lees
- 36 months
- Grapes
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
- Alcohol
- 12
- Sugar
- 6
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- not available
This exquisite wine is cultivated on a 0.60-hectare vineyard with vines over 30 years old. It showcases a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims (specifically from Ludes 1er Cru, Trépail, and Ormes), and Meunier and Chardonnay from the Vallée de la Marne (Mareuil-le-port). The terroir is characterized by lean, highly chalky soil with prominent chalk outcrops. The blend comprises 30% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, and 35% Meunier, selectively chosen with two-thirds of the best barrels forming a perpetual reserve maintained across three generations. Vinification involves a slow fermentation process in barrels and small vats, maturing on lees with corking, and an extended 36 months of aging on laths. The wine was disgorged in December 2020, with a dosage of 6 g/L, balancing richness with finesse.
Ratings
This wine impresses with its generous, ripe, multilayered and charmingly oxidized bouquet. It exudes an alluring array of baked apples sweetened with honey, complemented by refreshing menthol and healing propolis. A medley of spices and ginger adds warmth, while a pleasant Jerez and cider notes with a hint of cinnamon further enhance its complexity.
The balance achieved in this wine is near perfect, creating a seamless integration of flavours. Evocative of freshly baked bread and further layers of baked apples, its palate is as inviting as it is delicious.
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.