Born into a family whose winemaking histories date back to the 1800s, Raphaël and Vincent Bérêche started working with their father Jean-Pierre in 2004 and soon became known for their almost fanatical commitment to quality. They have ten full-time employees farming nine hectares of land using biodynamic practices in order to ensure maximal terroir expression. Each parcel of vines is vinified and aged separately in barrel. Even en tirage, their wine is under cork, with each bottle disgorged by hand. They keep a solera of sorts, started in 1985, which is drawn off by 2/3 each year and then replaced. It’s no surprise that they’re making some of the most coveted wines in Champagne.

A rare still chardonnay from the prestigious Grand Cru village of Aÿ, this wine comes from the coveted lieux-dits Brise Pot and La Côte Lingard. Spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged 18 months in French oak without malolactic fermentation, it's bottled by gravity using the ancient "à la Chèvre à deux becs" method. Striking notes of white peach, yuzu, and elderflower underlying cool minerality and a long, fresh finish. Stunning and memorable now but can be held until 2032 or so. Only 1800 bottles produced.