Bereche et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Ay 2016 750ml

The 2016 Aÿ Grand Cru, produced from purchased fruit, represents one of longest-aged Champagnes in Bérêche’s cellar, as the cuvée—a blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay—spent 72 months on the lees prior to its disgorgement in November 2023, with a dosage of three grams per liter. Sourced from the southwest-facing lieux-dits Froide Terre and Brise Pot—sites that benefit from proximity to the mountain and enable optimal ripeness with retained freshness—this cuvée is another delightful surprise of the challenging growing season. It bursts from the glass with aromas of nashi pear, yellow pomelo and white flowers. On the palate, it is elegant and vinous, with a bright, racy profile that concludes with a long, mineral finish. It stands as one of the finest wines in Bérêche’s cellar this year.

• Country: France
• Region: Champagne
• Size: 750ml

Varietal

Champagne Blend

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn’t unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as ‘blanc de blanc’, meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or ‘blanc de noir’, which is made solely with Pinot Noir.