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The November 2018 Internet-Only Auction Part 1
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1 / 2Lot 490
Estimate: $425
OC. Disgorged October 2012.
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Collection name
Reviews
94WA
"Berecheâs NV Brut Reflets dâAntan Disg. 10/2012 represents the latest installment of a singular bottling whose origin is a solera-like, annually renewed blend of equal parts Chardonnay, Meunier and Pinot, held in (hence, rotated through) demi-muids, and begun nearly two decades ago. This is truly a revelation of what Champagne can be! (Not that one would want all Champagne to be like this.) The intensely pungent aromas of green herbs, toasted nuts, and bittersweet floral perfumes are head-turning â yet so variegated and at the same time elusive that I wonât try to name even some of them. The correspondingly multi-faceted effect on a silken palate is at once piquantly oxidative and coolingly, even refreshingly green herbal and juicily citric. This finishes with awesome persistence and penetration, a wine that you can shake your head over in delighted contemplation for hours, and which will prove terrifically versatile at table. And incidentally, thereâs no sense of austerity or (too-)obvious dryness here, thanks to some 5-6 grams of residual sugar. What will become of this in bottle â and how quickly â I wouldnât pretend myself capable of predicting; but I am confident it will continue to mesmerize and delight . . . . And as Bereche disgorges bottles, year after year (perhaps even more often?!), I predict the list will rapidly grow of those whose âwish listâ it adorns. Raphael Bereche began working with his father Jean-Pierre in 2004 â which was also (and probably not coincidentally) the year in which this estate went organic â and has gradually taken the lead. This estate has holdings in the area around their home base of Ludes; in the gravel and sand âMeunierâ belt of the Petite Montagne de Reims; and around Mareuil-le-Port on the Left Bank of the Marne. Amazingly, other than the (far from) âbasicâ Brut and Extra Brut âReserveâ bottlings, all of the wines here are disgorged by hand after aging under cork rather than crown capsule, a luxury (and, true, to some small degree a risk) that applies to few Champagne estates today, and if at all, then usually only for a couple of their most expensive bottlings. This is also, Iâm told, one of those precious few wine estates in any given region that perpetuates the work of massale selection from its old vines. Given that the Bereche wines do not âdo maloâ â though most wines see barrel â and are typically finished with very low dosage, itâs not so surprising that as a group they tend toward tartness and a certain austerity, but for the most part, that is well-buffered and subsumed into a complex whole. Except for their Brut Reserve â and the âReflets dâAntan,â to which this notion doesnât apply â all of the non-vintage Bereche wines I tasted on this occasion were from vintage 2009. They were, as a group, sharp as the proverbial tack, so I can imagine that in a year naturally high in acidity â notably malic â they may well draw blood!"
Region
Sparkling
Country
Score
"Berecheâs NV Brut Reflets dâAntan Disg. 10/2012 represents the latest installment of a singular bottling whose origin is a solera-like, annually renewed blend of equal parts Chardonnay, Meunier and Pinot, held in (hence, rotated through) demi-muids, and begun nearly two decades ago. This is truly a revelation of what Champagne can be! (Not that one would want all Champagne to be like this.) The intensely pungent aromas of green herbs, toasted nuts, and bittersweet floral perfumes are head-turning â yet so variegated and at the same time elusive that I wonât try to name even some of them. The correspondingly multi-faceted effect on a silken palate is at once piquantly oxidative and coolingly, even refreshingly green herbal and juicily citric. This finishes with awesome persistence and penetration, a wine that you can shake your head over in delighted contemplation for hours, and which will prove terrifically versatile at table. And incidentally, thereâs no sense of austerity or (too-)obvious dryness here, thanks to some 5-6 grams of residual sugar. What will become of this in bottle â and how quickly â I wouldnât pretend myself capable of predicting; but I am confident it will continue to mesmerize and delight . . . . And as Bereche disgorges bottles, year after year (perhaps even more often?!), I predict the list will rapidly grow of those whose âwish listâ it adorns. Raphael Bereche began working with his father Jean-Pierre in 2004 â which was also (and probably not coincidentally) the year in which this estate went organic â and has gradually taken the lead. This estate has holdings in the area around their home base of Ludes; in the gravel and sand âMeunierâ belt of the Petite Montagne de Reims; and around Mareuil-le-Port on the Left Bank of the Marne. Amazingly, other than the (far from) âbasicâ Brut and Extra Brut âReserveâ bottlings, all of the wines here are disgorged by hand after aging under cork rather than crown capsule, a luxury (and, true, to some small degree a risk) that applies to few Champagne estates today, and if at all, then usually only for a couple of their most expensive bottlings. This is also, Iâm told, one of those precious few wine estates in any given region that perpetuates the work of massale selection from its old vines. Given that the Bereche wines do not âdo maloâ â though most wines see barrel â and are typically finished with very low dosage, itâs not so surprising that as a group they tend toward tartness and a certain austerity, but for the most part, that is well-buffered and subsumed into a complex whole. Except for their Brut Reserve â and the âReflets dâAntan,â to which this notion doesnât apply â all of the non-vintage Bereche wines I tasted on this occasion were from vintage 2009. They were, as a group, sharp as the proverbial tack, so I can imagine that in a year naturally high in acidity â notably malic â they may well draw blood!"
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The world's most influential fine-wine producer and the benchmark for Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhone. Its appellation (AOC) system codifies geography, grape and method, and its wines set the global standard for age-worthiness and terroir expression.
The northerly region that gives its name to the world's most celebrated sparkling wine, made by secondary fermentation in bottle from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Chalky soils and a cool climate yield wines of finesse and longevity.
The sole appellation for true Champagne, producing sparkling wines of finesse and complexity by traditional method from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
The world's most versatile white grape, producing everything from steely Chablis to rich, oaked whites. Its neutrality makes it a mirror of terroir and winemaking, and the foundation of white Burgundy and Champagne.
A key Champagne grape lending fruitiness, roundness and approachability to blends alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
A thin-skinned, terroir-sensitive red producing perfumed, silky and elegant wines of red-berry fruit and earthy complexity. It reaches its apogee in Burgundy.