Champagne Bérêche & Fils

Location: Ludes, Montagne de Reims, Champagne
Surface area: 11 hectares
Viticulture: Sustainable agriculture with organic tendencies, soil cultivation
Vinification: Harvested by hand, slow, spontaneous fermentation in barrel, aged on lees for 2-6 years, riddling always done by hand, with each bottle turned an eighth of a turn each day
Winemaker: Raphäel Bérêche in the cellar and Vincent Bérêche in the vineyards
Main appellations: Terroirs of Aÿ, Cramant, Ludes, Mailly, Rilly La Montagne

A family-run Champagne house born in the mid-19th century, founder Albert Bérêche originally grew a few vines, but mostly coffee. The coffee bean was abandoned in favor of the grape bean, and the estate grew from a few rows of vines to 11 hectares today.

Vines located mainly on the Montagne de Reims and in the Vallée de la Marne, unique terroirs with specific characteristics: this is the Bérêche brothers’ “playground”. Now in their fifth generation, Vincent and Raphaël look after this heritage, putting all their energy into a noble cause: the expression of terroir.
Very attached to respect for the soil, they put their money where their mouth is. The estate’s reasoned viticultural practices tend to preserve a heritage of old vines offering concentrated grapes (Les Beaux Regards comes from 2 parcels of 50-year-old vines, and the Grand Cru Mailly comes from vines over 60 years old). The quest for ripeness is never at the expense of liveliness, and dosage is always at the service of the final balance. The attention paid to all daily gestures, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, makes the difference and contributes to the notion of terroir that emanates from Bérêche champagnes.