In 1986, Eric Dhondt and Edith Grellet decided to stop selling off their grapes to negociants and started 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 in 2017 in the Trophées Champenois.

The domain 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. He does not use herbicides or insecticides. The soils are ploughed and composting is made at the domain.

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, ploughing 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 debuts severely to limit yields and produce ripe, concentrated fruit at harvest time. He often cites inspiration from great Burgundy estates by practising plot selection.

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, “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 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 stainless steel.

In 2020 he embarked on a small négociant project, crafting exceptional wines from purchased fruit, focusing on exploring the terroirs of the southern Côte de Blancs. Dhondt personally selects the harvest date, and his team handles the picking. The winemaking process involves spontaneous fermentation, minimal settling, élevage in wood (one-third new) for 8-9 months, regular topping up, minimal sulfur, and low-dosage disgorgement, following the same methods as his Dhondt-Grellet wines.