At Wine Source, we are fortunate to have enjoyed supporting Adrien Dhondt along his path to stardom. He has been at the helm of Champagne Dhondt-Grellet, making the wines since 2012. Described by William Kelley of The Wine Advocate as “an autodidact whose methods are more informed by his own experiments and the experience of his friends in Burgundy and Champagne, he believes in living soils, grapes harvested at full maturity, élevage in wood and low dosage. This approach yields complex, vinous wines that display considerable texture and power, though not at the expense of all the chalky refinement one expects”, and today we are excited to offer an allocation not to be missed, outlined below.
Very limited availability
Just one parcel per client, subject to availability
P A R C E L P R I C E
£900 In Bond
I N C L U D E S . . .
A rare Library case by Champagne Dhondt-Grellet
One original wooden case (multi-vintage).
Containing three bottles of Cuis lieu-dit “Les Nogers” Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut; from exceptional vintages 2012, 2013 & 2014
(3 x 75cl)
Plus…
Champagne Dhondt-Grellet, NV Dans un Premier Temps Extra Brut (2019 Base)
(6 x 75cl)
One original case containing six bottles. This is the hallmark cuvée of Adrien’s range – translated “to begin with”. The intention? To be an expression of all 6 hectares of his holdings spread across Sezanne, Cuis, and Avenay val d’Or, noteably Dhondt considers 2019 to be the most exciting vintage of his career to date.
Continue reading below for cuvée specific information.
Les Nogers
2012
Les Nogers
DHONDT-GRELLET
Premier Cru | Blanc de Blancs
Extra Brut
96 Points
” …goes from strength to strength, unfurling in the glass with scents of preserved lemon, walnut oil, dried white flowers, iodine and toasted bread. Full-bodied, vinous and textural, with an enveloping core of fruit, superb concentration and bright girdling acids, this is a brilliant Champagne that meets the high expectations I formed of it several years ago. (Drink 2018 to 2033) “
– W I L L I A M K E L L E Y
The Wine Advocate (Apr 2021)
A little more info…
The 2012 vintage. 100% Chardonnay; 55 year old vines from a lieu-dit in Cuis premier cru characterised by chalky soils with pockets of sand. Disgorged March 2018 with a dosage of 3g/l
2013
Les Nogers
DHONDT-GRELLET
Premier Cru | Blanc de Blancs
Extra Brut
95 Points
” …notes of fresh peach, crushed chalk, beeswax and walnut oil. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with racy acids, chalky structuring extract and a long, mineral finish. (Drink 2020 to 2035) “
– W I L L I A M K E L L E Y
The Wine Advocate (Aug 2020)
A little more info…
The 2013 vintage. 100% Chardonnay; from a Cuis lieu-dit that segues from sandy to chalky soils as one ascends the slope. Disgorged December 2018 with a dosage of 2.5g/l
2014
Les Nogers
DHONDT-GRELLET
Premier Cru | Blanc de Blancs
Extra Brut
95 Points
” …offering up an expressive bouquet of fresh peach, ripe lemons, golden orchard fruit and hazelnuts. Full-bodied, rich and fleshy, it’s vinous and enveloping, with a concentrated core of ripe fruit, elegantly muscular structure and a fine, pinpoint mousse. (Drink 2020 to 2035) “
– W I L L I A M K E L L E Y
The Wine Advocate (Aug 2020)
A little more info…
The 2014 vintage. 100% Chardonnay; 50 year old vines from a northeast-exposed lieu-dit in Cuis, characterized by chalky soils with pockets of sand. Disgorged October 2019 with a dosage of 3g/l
–
NV
Dans un Premier Temps
DHONDT-GRELLET
2019 Base | Extra Brut
92 Points
” Bursting with aromas of freshly baked bread, green apple, pear, warm biscuits and wet stones, Dhondt’s NV Extra-Brut Dans un Premier Temps (2019) is medium to full-bodied, broad and textural, with a gourmand, enveloping core of fruit, lively acids and a long, sapid finish. A layered, vinous wine, animated by a pinpoint mousse, it’s the finest rendition of this cuvée to date. Lovers of vinous, characterful, artisanal Champagne will want to make a special effort to track down these brilliant wines. (Drink 2022 to 2033) “
– W I L L I A M K E L L E Y
The Wine Advocate (Aug 2022)
A little more info…
2019 Vintage (70%) plus “Reserve Perpetuelle” (30%); their solera dating back to 1986. Chardonnay (50%) from Sezanne (50% fermentation in barrel, and the rest in tank), Pinot Noir (30%) from Avenay Val d’Or, Pinot Meunier (20%) from Cuis ; with an average of 45 year old vines. Disgorged October 2022 with a dosage of between 2 – 2.5g/l.
ACCEPT YOUR ALLOCATION
PremierTemps
W I N E M A K E R
In 1986, Eric Dhondt and Edith Grellet decided to stop selling off their grapes to negociants and established Dhondt-Grellet. Their focus on biodynamic farming has translated into vivid champagnes from great parcels across the Côte des Blancs. Their son Adrien is now at the helm, together with his sister Alice. The influence of Burgundy is evident in the texture and vinosity – Adrien cites the great white winemakers of Burgundy, Coche-Dury, Vincent Dancer and Jean-Yves Bizot among his inspirations. With a very clear vision for the future of Champagne and bolstered by a mentorship from Anselme Selosse who helped Adrien to set off in the right direction; Adrien has elevated his family’s wines to a brand new level, focusing on chardonnay and terroir. The quality of Adrien’s cuvées was recognised when he was voted Winemaker of the Year 2017 in the Trophées Champenois.
V I N E Y A R D S
The domaine is around 6ha of Grand Cru and 1er Cru vines, with an average age of 40 years. Adrien uses organic & biodynamic practices but he is not seeking certification. His philosophy is to have a living soil with a healthy balance between microbial life and the vine. He does not use herbicides or insecticides. The soils are plowed and composting is made at the domaine.
V I T I C U L T U R E
Adrien uses biodynamic practices but he is not seeking certification, preferring to work in the spirit of what he calls “peasant viticulture,” using no synthetic products, no herbicides or insecticides, enriching his soils with homemade compost and, as of Spring 2021, plowing each plot with his horse, Thor. His philosophy is to have a living soil with a healthy balance between microbial life and the vine. In the vines, there’s a lot of manual work: he prunes short and debuds severely to limit yields and produce ripe, concentrated fruit at harvest time. He often cites inspiration from great Burgundy estates by practicing plot selection.
V I N I F I C A T I O N
In the cellar, Dhondt has moved almost completely to barrel fermentation with ambient yeasts, filling his fûts after a very short six hours’ settling (or débourbage) and adding minimal sulfur dioxide. The vins clairs spend eight months on the lees before tirage without cold stabilization, filtering or fining. During those eight months of élevage, the wines are topped up when Dhondt deems it is appropriate judicious, “about every month and a half, I’d say, but I decide whether to top up—and whether to perform bâtonnage—by tasting.” As of 2020 Adrien is now uses almost exclusively oak barrels for his wines with the exception of the Dans Un Premier Temps, where he uses a combination of barrel and inox.
Barrels
