Bereche et Fils - 'UNE' Champagne Extra Brut 2015
Price: $899.99
| Producer | Bereche et Fils |
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| Country | France |
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| Region | Champagne |
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| Varietal | Champagne |
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| Vintage | 2015 |
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| Sku | 37787 |
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Bereche et Fils Description
Great Terroirs, Singular Methods
Key to the fantastic complexity of the Bérêche Champagnes are the number of different terroirs that make up the estate’s holdings. Their holdings can be found, for example, in their home village of Ludes on the chalky Montagne de Reims, in Ormes, in the Petite Montagne de Reims and Mareuil le Port, in the western Vallée de la Marne.
These are augmented by small plots in Trépail on the eastern slope of the Montagne de Reims, from 2012, the estate’s first Grand Cru site, a tiny parcel in Mailly and in 2013 a half-hectare in Rilly la Montagne, just west of Ludes. Apart from the Brut Réserve, Raphaël and Vincent experiment tirelessly with the character of these very different terroirs, creating a range of cuvées prized for their originality.
To ensure that the soil and, consequently the fruit, is as healthy as possible, Bérêche stopped all use of chemical herbicides in 2003, returning to manual working of their vineyards as in the past, and they are moving toward biodynamic farming in all their parcels.
Ten full-time employees tend the vines, an extraordinary number given that the estate’s holdings are only nine hectares. This ensures that the labor-intensive farming of each site is done perfectly. And this dedication to the quality of the matière première is enhanced by Vincent’s establishment of an extremely precise protocol for all vineyard work.
The Bérêche sites are planted in roughly equal proportions of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier which, combined with the wide variety of terroirs, provides a great range of blending possibilities.
And Raphaël’s and Vincent’s skillful barrel aging and use of cork closures, rather than crown caps, for the secondary fermentation makes the most of this site-derived complexity, in a compellingly expressive, complex and refined range of cuvées.
Vinous: 97 Points
The 2015 Extra-Brut Une Champagne is a blend of all the 1er and Grand Crus in the cellar. It's a step up from the debut 2014. Explosive in the glass, the 2015 possesses tremendous textural richness from start to finish. Orchard fruit, slate, chalk, mint, white flowers and a kiss of toasty brioche saturate the palate. Blending is such a central part of the identity of Champagne. Bérêche's Extra-Brut Une Champagne makes that point loud and clear.
James Suckling: 93 Points
