NV Bérêche et Fils Le Cran Extra Brut (2010)

Disgorged November 2017
3 g/l dosage
50% Chardonnay 50% Pinot Noir 

OMG, what a wine! 👍🍾
For me, I give Le Cran the edge over Dom Perignon and Cristal in terms of character, intensity and sheer thrill...

Riveting slightly oxidative nose of honeycrisp apples, flowers and hints of yeast. Very fine, playful mousse.

Taut, thrilling palate of tart red berry, iodine and chalk with a wonderfully complex, dry saline finish.

Paired with:

- Risotto al Salto (rice cake with Asiago-Parmesan fondue with bits of crispy Prosciutto)

- Whole roasted Branzino with a delicious Mediterranean version of Pommes Anna with cherry tomatoes and capers.

Autolysis reference 
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autolysis_(wine)

Producer notes:

"Since joining their father Jean-Pierre in 2004 and 2008 respectively, Raphaël and Vincent Bérêche have risen to the head of the class of Champagne’s corp of elite grower producers.



Integral to the Bérèche style is the systematic suppression of malolactic fermentation, a method that allows the Le Cran cuvee to showcase the complexity of its 40 year-old, Premier Cru fruit while retaining the nervy acidity of Ludes (Montagne de Reims).

The “Cran” vineyard was planted to Chardonnay on west–facing hills in 1969, and the “St. Jean” vineyard was planted to Pinot Noir on east-facing hills in 1973. Together these two vineyards, in dense, chalky soil provide the structure for a long-lived, powerful yet elegant Champagne from the two varieties.

The wine is fermented and aged in neutral barrels before the vin clair is assembled. Then the wine receives its second fermentation in bottle under cork–a hugely labor-intensive practice, which produces discreet, elegant bubbles. 



Wines are bottled around May, without filtration and with a natural cold-settling, achieved by opening all of the cellar’s windows and waiting for three days.

A small dosage, usually 3–6 g/l, depending on the vintage is added after the manual disgorgement. Unlike many growers who are embracing the idea of concentrated must for the dosage, Bérèche adamantly prefers a traditional liqueur.

The original Bérêche estate is centered around 2.5 hectares of vines established by Leon and Albert Bérêche in 1847. Successive generations expanded the property, and today there are a total of 9.5 ha in and around the communes of Craon de Ludes, Ormes, Trépail, and Mailly, all in the Montagne de Reims, as well as the area around Mareuil-le-Port on the left bank of the Marne. The 0.15 ha Mailly parcel, acquired in 2012, is their first Grand Cru vineyard. "

(Le Cran T-Shirt photo courtesy Donald Pennet, taken at Bérêche cellars)