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.

Part of the domaine's rare single-village series, this Grand Cru blanc de blancs is sourced from old-vine chardonnay grown on pure chalk in the heart of Cramant. Fermented in oak, aged under cork, and finished with a whisper of dosage (3 grams per liter) when disgorged in 2023, it's a wine that distills place and precision into a single glass.

2020 opens with pear, jasmine, and lemongrass, with a gentle smokiness beneath. As it stretches out, riper aromas emerge: a flash of mango, a dab of vanilla, roasted hazelnut, and a fine iodine note that points back to the chalk. The palate is supple and well-cut, energy and texture in even measure, with lees-driven depth woven through a long, saline finish.