Dhondt-Grellet Les Terres Fines 1er Cru Côte des Blancs Champagne NV

Dhondt-Grellet may seem like a young producer compared to other Champagne houses with its founding in 1986; however, the family has grown grapes in Champagne and tended to vines for generations. Eric Dhondt and Edith Grellet chose to stop selling their fruit to the local negociant and began producing Champagnes from their holdings in Côte des Blancs. Their son Adrien became winemaker at 22 and now works alongside his sister, Alice, to continue the family traditions. Their vineyards are located solely in Côte des Blancs, a sub-region known for growing some of the most exceptional Chardonnays in Champagne. Therefore, the Dhondt-Grellet portfolio consists of only Blanc de Blancs, yet thanks to Adrien’s deft skills in the cellar and thoughtful farming, each bottling is entirely its own with strong character.

Adrien stands out among his peers for his biodynamic and organic practices in the vineyards but wants no credit for it other than the improved health of his vines and their soils. While some strive for certification, Adrien prefers to put his time and energy back into the land by plowing each plot with his horse, amending soils with homemade compost, and implementing creative alternatives to pesticides and herbicides. As you might suspect, Adrien tends to the vines all by hand, pruning and de-budding himself with a small team of trusted volunteers.

Dhondt-Grellet began a perpetual reserve when they started making wines in 1986, and Adrien continues the practice to this day. A perpetual reserve in Champagne is like the solera system in Sherry, where a portion of the current harvest is siphoned off and combined with portions from all previous vintages and stored as a “reserve” wine. Some producers save their reserve wine for difficult vintages or special bottlings; however, Adrien pulls 30% of the reserve wine to include in blends every year and replaces the reserve deficit with juice from the current vintage.

While much of Adrien’s production is fermented and aged in barrel, he vinifies the Les Terres Fines Premier Cru in stainless steel. Seventy percent of this bottling is the 2020 vintage, with the rest coming from the Dhondt-Grellet reserve wine. It is 100% Chardonnay sourced from a few small plots in the villages of Cuis and Chouilly, at the base of the famous chalk-heavy Côte des Blancs ridge. Nuanced and bright aromatic notes reflect the high-toned traits of the Côte des Blancs Chardonnays, with a textured, medium-bodied palate highlighting toasted almond, chalky minerality, and white flowers thanks to the portion of reserve wine.