Champagne Bérêche et Fils Ludes Premier Cru Le Cran 2016 Disg. Jul 2023

Champagne Bérêche et Fils Ludes Premier Cru Le Cran comes from two old-vine parcels planted by the brothers' grandfather on the highest ground in Ludes.

Ludes is a Premier Cru village on the northern flank of the Montagne de Reims and the Bérêche family home, where Raphaël and Vincent farm the estate their forebears built. Le Cran was first made in 2004 out of a wish to bottle a true picture of the Ludes terroir, and it draws on two sites rich in limestone and chalk at the top of the village, now averaging fifty years of age. The blend is split evenly between Chardonnay from the west-facing Les Hautes Plantes, planted in 1969, and Pinot Noir from the east-facing lieu-dit Les Vignes Saint-Jean, planted in 1973. Low yields, naturally low pH and racy acidity mark the wine out as the most tightly wound of the Bérêche single vineyards. It is fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak barrels of up to 600 litres and aged 72 months, mostly on lees in bottle under cork, with dosage of 3.65 g/L.

Approachable now but built for the long haul, with a decade or more ahead of it. Serve at about 8°C with oven- or barbecue-roasted fish, scallops or a mushroom risotto.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.