Last month in our classroom, we opened a range of wines from the Bérêche family—a delicious night capped by a standout debut: Pauline Collin Bérêche’s 2019.

In many ways, it marks the beginning of her domaine. Sourced from newly acquired family vines in Ludes, the wine speaks to the Bérêche tradition of terroir-driven Champagne while introducing Pauline’s own lifted, deeply quenching style.

Pauline Collin Bérêche has been surrounded by wine her whole life. Her great-grandfather Roland Collin founded the Ludes wine co-op in 1945; and her father—well ahead of his time—reduced chemical inputs, fed soils with bark mulch, and encouraged cover crops to thrive. Her mother came from the Guillaumes, one of Champagne’s legendary vine nursery families. Viticulture and this chalky village are in every part of her family history.

After business school and time abroad (including stints at Ruinart and Krug) Pauline returned home. In 2016, she enrolled in Avize Viti Campus and began making wine from a small parcel of old-vine Pinot Noir in Ludes. Her first wine aged 48 months on lees.

One plot, one grape, one vintage. That was the idea. 

Pauline's singular premier cru at rest in the Bérêche cellar

When her father fell ill in 2018, Pauline stepped up to cover the family’s operation. And 2019—technically her third vintage under her own name—marked the true beginning of the domaine as it stands today. She introduced Chardonnay and a touch of Petit Meslier, a rare, bright white grape that brings verve and lift even in the warmest years. It was finished without dosage, carving out a style that’s precise, salty and deeply rooted in Ludes chalky soils.

Her goal isn’t growth, it's on this one singular cuvee. And, tbh, better farming for Champagne’s future. “We can’t give up on zero herbicide,” she says. “The reputation of Champagne can’t just be about history—it has to be about what we do now.”

Today, her barrels rest in the cold cellar of her husband Raphaël Bérêche. Her sisters help at harvest. Her father still offers quiet guidance. And her kids grow up with muddy boots, just like she did.

An impressive addition to the Bérêche name—and one we can’t recommend highly enough.

2019 Pauline Collin Bérêche Vieilles Vignes Ludes Premier Cru, Champagne, France $105
60 % Pinot Noir / 35% Chardonnay / 5% Petit Meslier; aged 48 months sur latte.

The lineup from our Night of Bérêche(s)