94 points Champagne Guide

(35% pinot noir from Ludes, Trépail and Ormes; 35% chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne; 30% meunier from Mareuil-le-Port; average vine age 40 years; 65% 2020 base vintage; 35% reserves from 2019 and 2018; wild fermented in barrels and matured in barrels and tanks; aged 36 months on lees in bottle; disgorged by hand December 2022; 5.5g/L dosage). Bérêche is an exemplar of the rise and rise of the cool, northern-facing premier crus of the Montagne de Reims in the wake of an ever warmer climate. The greatness of the estate is proclaimed in Brut Réserve, a resounding tribute to the attentiveness of this lauded little house in the vineyards and the élevage. The rumbling depths of complexity inherent here bear testimony to the richness of the Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne and to wild fermentation and maturation in barrels. The warm 2020, 2019 and 2018 seasons unite in perfectly ripe, succulent stone fruits and figs, bathed in layers of deep, dark spice, fruit mince spice, tarte tarin and dried nectarine. The lively brightness of the finish is refreshing in such seasons, energised equally by the bright acidity and fine chalk minerality of the northern Montagne de Reims.