Bérêche et Fils Brut Réserve Champagne Vieilles Vignes NV (disgorged June 2025, base 2022) is the reference non-vintage cuvée from one of Champagne’s most exacting grower-producers. It is built from a multi-vintage blend centred on the 2022 base year (around 65%), complemented by reserve wines from the two preceding vintages, including a substantial perpetual reserve component (approximately 40% of the blend). The cépage is split across 35% Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims (Ludes, Trépail and Ormes), 35% Chardonnay from Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne, and 30% Meunier from Mareuil-le-Port. The average vine age is around 40 years, contributing concentration and textural depth.

The stylistic core of this cuvée is its balance between tension and breadth. The cooler, chalk-driven sites of Ludes and Trépail provide precision and verticality, while the Marne fruit and reserve wines bring mid-palate richness and continuity. This is very much a structural NV Champagne, designed to express both site diversity and cellar precision rather than simple fruit-forwardness.

Vinification is highly traditional but exacting: natural fermentation in barrel, élevage in a combination of barrel and tank, followed by approximately 36 months sur lattes. The wine is hand-disgorged and finished with a low dosage of around 5 g/L, preserving tension and mineral definition. Recent refinements—including the exclusion of tailles and increased emphasis on Chardonnay from Trépail—have further sharpened acidity and lowered pH, contributing to greater precision and clarity.

The 2022-based release shows ripe citrus and stone fruit aromatics—nectarine, orange zest, brioche and subtle spice—over a tightly coiled, chalky frame. The palate is medium to full-bodied with notable density, but the driving line of acidity keeps everything focused and energetic, finishing long with a saline, mineral edge.

“The NV Brut Réserve is the foundational wine at Bérêche, and the latest release is based on the 2022 vintage, incorporating a 40% perpetual reserve component, uniting the freshness of the northern slopes and the maturity of the hot, dry vintage. Bursting from the glass with aromas of nectarine, orange zest and brioche, it's medium- to full-bodied and ample, with considerable density, underpinned by racy acidity and concluding with a chalky finish. The Brut Réserve has seen the most refinements in recent years as it no longer incorporates tailles and now features Chardonnay from Trépail; technically, this means that the pH is lower and the acidity is higher. It’s one of the most reliable entry-level NV bottlings on the market.”
92 points, Kristaps Karklins, The Wine Advocate