Pauline Collin Bereche, Vieilles Vignes Ludes Premier Cru, Champagne, 2019

The producer Based in the Premier Cru village of Ludes in the Montagne de Reims, Pauline Collin-Bérêche is the seventh generation of a family deeply rooted in Champagne viticulture. After gaining experience at Ruinart and Krug, she established her own label in 2016, working alongside her husband, Raphaël Bérêche of Bérêche et Fils. Her aim is deliberately focused: to produce one vintage Champagne each year that captures both the character of the growing season and the distinctive terroir of Ludes. Pauline works with around two hectares of old vines planted on light clay and limestone soils, selecting Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and the rare Petit Meunier from her family vineyards. The wines undergo slow, spontaneous fermentation in used 450-litre barrels sourced from Vincent Girardin in Meursault, followed by extended ageing of at least 48 months on the lees. Production is tiny—approximately 10,000 bottles—and dosage is kept extremely low or omitted entirely. The resulting Champagnes combine vinous depth and ripe fruit with freshness, precision and the chalky mineral character of Ludes. The wine Fruit for Pauline Collin-Bérêche’s Vieilles Vignes is sourced from approximately two hectares of old vines in the Premier Cru village of Ludes in the Montagne de Reims. Predominantly Pinot Noir, with Chardonnay and a small proportion of the rare Petit Meunier, the vines are rooted in light clay and limestone soils close to the village. Fermentation takes place slowly with indigenous yeasts in used 450-litre barrels from Vincent Girardin in Meursault, followed by more than 48 months of ageing on the lees before disgorgement without dosage. The extended maturation produces a Champagne of impressive depth and precision, combining ripe pear and orchard fruit with dried flowers, freshly baked bread and subtle exotic spice. Its broad, vinous texture is balanced by vibrant acidity and a fine, persistent mousse, while Petit Meslier brings an additional note of freshness and aromatic lift. Generous yet finely controlled, the wine finishes long, saline and mineral, offering a distinctive expression of Ludes and Pauline’s thoughtful, low-intervention approach. Information Type: Sparkling Vintage: 2019 Country: France Region: Champagne Sub Region: Growers Champagne Grape: 65% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 5% Petit Meunier Style: Complex and Traditional Sweetness: Brut ABV: 12.5% Drinking window: 2025 - 2035 Size: 750ml Food match: Shellfish, Crab and Lobster Critics Scores We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores. As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.