Champagne Brut Réserve Vieilles Vignes Bérêche et Fils

35% chardonnay, 30% pinot, 35% meunier; 35% reserves; half premier crus; average vine age 40+ years; fermented in barrels and small tanks; 10% tailles aged for 2 years before blending to reduce vegetal notes and austerity; aged on lees 24-36 months; 65,000 bottles, 2500 magnums, 300 jéroboams; 7g/L dosage Bérêche admits that this is his most difficult wine to make, with an aspiration of richness, finesse, chalk minerality, creamy texture and a clean, bright finish. He is working on its refinement though focusing on the date of picking, increasing vinification in barrel, and aiming to age on lees as long as his special cuvées. The result is brilliantly characterful for the lead cuvée of the house, and to sustain such consistency and impeccable fruit integrity even with a majority of barrel fermentation is a feat few estates as small as this can pull off. The current release is more extroverted and flamboyant than ever, thanks to the ripe and expressive 2015 base vintage springing to life in a full straw hue with a salmon tint, overflowing into a palate brimming with orange rind, strawberry hull and layers of spice. It holds excellent persistence, fullness and presence, while lingering very long with well-focused malic acidity, underlined by the almond notes of at least two years lees age. A characterful and crafted wine of presence, poise and class that rises to the character and complexity of a powerful season, yet at every moment upholding seamless cohesion.

Plenty of pastry and lees-derived chalkiness and fresh cream notes. The palate is very fleshy, expansive and accessible and yet it stays very pure, fine and focused. Great shape. Mostly pinot with 35 per cent of reserve wine. Drink now.

The NV Brut Réserve is a real pleasure to taste, as it encapsulates all of the qualities that make these Champagnes so distinctive. Rich and toasty, with gorgeous mid-palate breadth, the Brut Réserve is a model of total precision and class. Even with all of its resonance, the Brut Réserve is incredibly pure and crystalline. Dried apricots, flowers, chamomile, pear and lightly honeyed notes meld into the finish... A few months back, I tasted a ten vintage vertical of the Brut Réserve and found all of the wines had aged gracefully. Although most readers probably associate Bérèche with some of their higher-end bottlings, the Brut Réserve is a real rock star.

Lemon curd, delicate herb and spice notes lead to flavors of crushed white cherry, toasted brioche and honey, with a streak of salinity, in this firm, focused Champagne, showing a lacy mousse. Offers a long, mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2022.-A.N .

The latest release of the NV Brut Réserve was disgorged in October 2019 with seven grams per liter dosage, and it's based on the 2017 vintage. Exhibiting a glass bouquet of citrus oil, oyster shell, fresh peach and toasted nuts, it's medium to full- bodied, racy and tensile, with lovely depth and concentration, fine energy and a long, penetrating finish.

The current release of the NV Champagne Brut Reserve is based on the 2019 vintage. It is roughly equal parts Chardonnay, Meunier, and Pinot Noir, with 35% reserve wine blended in. Fruity, floral, and open, with notes of fresh citrus blossoms, orchard fruits, and fresh bread, the palate is generous and approachable, with apricot, berries, and a lightly savory broth. This is consistently one of the best entry wines that versatile enough to drink alone or to accompany a meal.

Intens pærer i duften. Meget mørk nærmest en smule rosa. Nedfaldsfrugt. Let oxidativ i udtrykket. Yderst lang eftersmag.

Klassicister vil opfatte Bérêche som den rene havsmag, nærmest østersagtig og iodsmagende, men det elsker nypuritisterne, growertilhængerne, og betragt mig bare som medlem af den gruppe. Her 20% fadgæret med 35% pinot noir, 35% chardonnay og 30 pinot meunier, og der indgår procenter fra Raphäel Bérêches løbende reservevin, påbegyndt i 1985! Et brusende væld af fine små bobler med stærk lugt af fermenteret selleri, bagt løg og mexicansk gæret og tørret lime. Asparges fra sidste år, stram citronsyre og meget markant meunier-bid i form af sure ribs. Bérêche er ikke for svage sjæle og kan minde om en Krug uden dosage.

Strågul. Duften rummer Honning, æble, abrikos, marcipan og noter af rugbrød. Smagen er friskt mousserende med mørkt rugbrød, toast, abrikos og honning med en frisk syre og bid. Marcipan og rugbrødsnoter er med fra start til slut. Fine letoxyderede noter passer godt sammen med den friske frugt af abrikos, citrus og æble.

Krydderier og karambole med et lille præg af kirsch. Karakterfuld eftersmag. Spændende vin.

Intens pærer i duften. Meget mørk nærmest en smule rosa. Nedfaldsfrugt. Let oxidativ i udtrykket. Yderst lang eftersmag.