Bereche et Fils : Brut Reserve

Characteristics and Tasting Notes for Brut Réserve Bérêche et Fils

Tasting

Color
With a luminous pale gold hue, this champagne is enhanced by a stream of fine, steady bubbles forming a mousse of great elegance.

Nose
Beautifully complex, the nose opens with aromas of fresh white fruits such as white peach, green apple, and pear, mingled with notes of citrus and white flowers. Subtle hints of almond, spice, and mint emerge, underpinned by a deep, chalky minerality.

Palate
Lively and precise on the attack, the palate reveals a fleshy, savory texture, carried by a creamy mousse. A fine mineral tension and bright acidity balance the whole, unveiling lovely breadth in the mid-palate before stretching into a long, elegant, and persistent finish marked by saline, chalky notes.

Food and Wine Pairing
This champagne pairs wonderfully with seafood and raw preparations, such as scallop carpaccio, fine claire oysters, or sea bream tartare. It will also be the ideal companion to an aperitif, refined poultry dishes, or well-aged cheeses.

Serving and Cellaring
With great aging potential, this Brut Réserve can be enjoyed now or left to rest in the cellar for many years to develop more complex tertiary aromas.

Other Characteristics
The dosage of this wine is deliberately kept low, between 5.5 and 7 g/L, in order to preserve the purity and mineral precision of the terroir.

The Pure, Mineral Expression of a Great Champagne from Bérêche et Fils

The Estate
Founded in 1847 by Albert Bérêche in Ludes, the Bérêche et Fils estate is a key figure in Champagne. Initially a grape supplier, the estate bottled its first vintage in 1928. Today, brothers Raphaël and Vincent Bérêche, representing the fifth generation, run the estate. With a vineyard of around ten hectares, they carry on a family expertise focused on respect for the terroir. Pioneers of sustainable viticulture, they banned herbicides as early as 2003 and apply biodynamic methods, placing the house among the leading references of grower champagnes.

The Vineyard
The vineyard spans several prestigious terroirs of Champagne, notably the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne. The vines, over 38 years old on average, thrive on varied soils ranging from pure chalk in Ludes, to sand over chalk in Ormes, to the clay-limestone soils of Mareuil-le-Port. The estate stands out for its extremely rigorous manual work, with an exceptional ratio of one worker per hectare, and holds High Environmental Value (HVE) certification.

The Blend
This wine is made from a base harvest to which around 35% reserve wines are added. These come from a perpetual reserve started in 1985, kept in large wooden barrels, bringing remarkable complexity to the final blend.

Winemaking and Aging
The Brut Réserve is vinified on a plot-by-plot basis using indigenous yeasts. Fermentation takes place slowly, partly in wood, and malolactic fermentation is deliberately avoided to preserve optimal freshness. Aging on the lees lasts eight to nine months. The second fermentation and bottle aging take place under cork for 36 to 78 months. Finally, disgorgement is carried out entirely by hand.

Grape Varieties
The blend consists of Chardonnay (35%), Pinot Noir (35%), and Pinot Meunier (30%).