The NV Brut Reflet d'Antan (base 2018) is exquisite. Silky, aromatic and sublime, the Reflet d'Antan is all finesse. Silky contours caress the palate. Readers will find a Champagne of mind-blowing polish. Orchard fruit, citrus confit, spice, chamomile and a kiss of oak flesh out with time in the glass. Reflet d'Antan is one of the most unique wines in Champagne. The complexity gained through a two-level solera and lightly elevated (but not unpleasant) volatile acidity make for a vinous Champagne that exudes character from the first taste to the last. Today, Reflet d'Antan is a bit less oxidative in style than it once was, a reflection of the shift to slightly newer barrels with thick staves. -- Antonio Galloni

The NV Brut Reflet d'Antan, now produced exclusively in magnums, stands as Bérêche’s most distinct cuvée in terms of aromatic profile. It vividly expresses the estate’s perpetual reserve, first conceived in 1990 by Jean-Pierre Bérêche, father of Raphaël and Vincent. Comprising two-thirds wine from the 2017 vintage, it was disgorged in December 2022 with a dosage of five grams per liter. Composed in near-equal proportions of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, it unfurls from the glass with a kaleidoscopic bouquet of dried apricot, toasted nuts, pastries and exotic spices. On the palate, it is textural and multidimensional, with a rich, slightly oxidative character underpinned by vibrant acidity and a chalky structure. The finish is intensely saline and enduring. The wine is aged entirely in 600-liter barrels. - Kristaps Karklins

I had the chance to share this bottle with Klaus-Peter Keller during my visit to his domaine, the week prior to my arrival in Champagne. The Reflet d’Antan bottling from the Bérêche family is fermented in tank and then raised in six hundred liter, older oak casks and is comprised of a blend of one-third each of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. This wine is base year 2007, with the wine having spent three years on its fine lees prior to disgorgement. The bouquet offers up a slight touch of oakiness on both the nose and palate, but is quite complex and vibrant in its aromatic blend of pear, apple, rye bread, a touch of menthol, pinot meunier flora tones, a touch of nuttiness and a bit of vanilla. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and complex, with a lovey core of fruit, elegant mousse and fine focus and grip on the wellbalanced and long finish. Fine juice. 2014-2030+.