Tasting Notes and Characteristics of Le Cran 2018 by Bérêche et Fils

Tasting

Color

The color reveals a golden hue, enlivened by a very fine and steady effervescence.

Nose

The nose unfolds with a complex array of candied citrus and dried fruit, layered with floral and balsamic nuances, underscored throughout by a distinctly chalky character.

Palate

On the palate, the wine shows a vertical, powerful yet precisely drawn structure, carried by lively acidity and closing on a long, saline finish.

Other characteristics

This Champagne is crafted in the extra brut style, a low dosage that allows the chalky minerality of the terroir to come through without being masked by sweetness.

A Chalky, Saline Premier Cru Champagne from the Village of Ludes

The Estate

Founded in 1847 when Albert Bérêche settled in the village of Ludes, in the Champagne region, Bérêche et Fils has remained in the hands of the same family for five generations. The estate farms around eleven hectares spread across eight villages on the Montagne de Reims and in the Marne valley. Today, brothers Raphaël and Vincent Bérêche run the house together, overseeing the cellar and the vineyards respectively. The property is recognized for its early shift toward low-intervention, environmentally minded farming and for building its reputation on parcel-based cuvées that express the character of individual sites.

The Vineyard

Le Cran is produced from old-vine parcels located on the mid-slope of Ludes, a village classified as Champagne Premier Cru on the northern side of the Montagne de Reims. The vines grow at around 220 meters in altitude on a 9% slope, where roughly 30 centimeters of brown clay soil rest above a deep chalk subsoil. One parcel, planted with chardonnay in 1969, faces west, while the other, planted with pinot noir in 1973, faces east; together they form the Le Cran plot.

Winemaking and aging

This Le Cran from Bérêche et Fils is fermented with indigenous yeasts in barrels and small vats, then aged on its lees for an extended period before undergoing a second fermentation under cork. The wine subsequently continues to rest while lying down in bottle, a long aging process that contributes to the depth and chalky signature found in Le Cran 2018.

Grape Varieties

This wine is an equal blend of chardonnay and pinot noir, sourced from old vines averaging more than 45 years of age.