Bereche & Fils Ambonnay Grand Cru 2020
We have 2 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
Summer Shipping Advisory: Orders may be temporarily held during periods of extreme heat to ensure wine arrives in optimal condition.
View current shipping weather map →
The Land
Ambonnay sits on the eastern side of the Montagne de Reims, one of Champagne's most prized grand cru villages for Pinot Noir. Bereche et Fils farms a single .4-hectare parcel called "Les Tourets" here, south-facing at 110 meters on a 10 percent grade, with vines averaging 50 years old rooted in deep, brown, chalky clay. The south exposure and grand cru pedigree give the fruit a richness that sets it apart from the estate's cooler Montagne de Reims sites.
The Wine
100% Pinot Noir, fermented slowly in barrel, aged on the lees for 54 months before disgorgement, with malolactic fermentation blocked to preserve acidity. The 2020 vintage ran warm and dry, the third hot year in a row, though a cooler June and July kept the fruit fresher than 2018. The result is broad-shouldered but lithe: dark cherry and blood orange on the nose, a rich, textured mid-palate, and a long mineral finish that keeps the wine from feeling heavy.
The People
Bereche et Fils has worked the Montagne de Reims since the mid-1800s, first bottling under the family name in 1928. Brothers Raphael and Vincent, the fifth generation, took the reins in 2004 and moved the estate to biodynamic farming, insisting on bottling each parcel on its own rather than blending across sites. Ambonnay was one of several grand cru parcels the brothers added to the estate's holdings, chosen specifically for how differently Pinot Noir expresses itself on the Montagne's eastern slopes compared with the family's older sites in Ludes and Mailly.
Food Pairing
The wine's richness works with roasted squab, a mushroom and thyme tart, aged cheeses like Comte or Beaufort, or pan-seared duck breast with cherry gastrique.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
Champagne is the northernmost major wine region in France, defined by its cool climate, chalky soils, and centuries-old tradition of sparkling wine production. Centered around the towns of Reims and Épernay, the region is divided into key subzones like the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, and Côte des Blancs, each favoring different grapes—Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Chardonnay respectively. The region’s signature chalk and limestone soils provide excellent drainage and impart a distinctive mineral character to the wines. While méthode champenoise was refined here in the 17th century, Champagne’s global prestige grew through the 19th and 20th centuries, cementing its role as the benchmark for sparkling wine worldwide.
Champagne
Pinot Noir is a thin-skinned, notoriously difficult-to-grow, low-yielding grape that finds its ancestral home in Burgundy, France, where it produces some of the world's most elegant and nuanced wines. While Burgundy remains its spiritual heartland, Pinot Noir has since traveled the globe, finding success in other cooler climates, notably in California, Oregon, New Zealand, and Germany. This grape is a challenge for any grower, as it requires specific conditions to show its best, and yet the wines it produces are capable of such a captivating and singular character.
