I had this remarkable Champagne at Mission E2 on Friday, with Pepe Raventos and Michael Sager-Wilde. They both had dinner plans and so I got to finish it, which was rather splendid, because it’s a really thought-provoking bottle from the fabulous Raphaël & Vincent Bérêche. They are growers, but they also make wine from special terroirs they don’t have holdings in, such as this wine. So the wines from their own vineyards are Bérêche et Fils, while the selected crus are labelled as Raphaël & Vincent Bérêche. Production is tiny.

Raphaël & Vincent Bérêche Montagne Premier Cru 2004 Champagne, France
This is Chardonnay from Montagne de Reims, from the premier cru Trépail vineyard, which is one of the few in the Montagne that is Chardonnay dominant. It’s extra brut, with a dosage of 4 g/l and it was disgorged in December 2013. Very taut and fresh, in a linear style, showing great balance with high acidity. Linear, lemony and pure with amazing presence. Such a beautiful wine, showing lovely clean taut fruit and a slightly salty mineral character. 94/100

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