Champagne Dhondt-Grellet

Winemaker Profile | Champagne, France

Over the past two decades, the Grower movement in Champagne has seen the rise to prominence of hundreds of new estates and the fall of nearly as many. Dhondt-Grellet is one of the few new faces to the Champagne scene that has not only maintained its follower base from the start but has gained in acclaim and status every year. There is no doubt anymore that it is one of the most serious new players in Champagne today.  Although Dhondt-Grellet has only reached its star status relatively recent, the estate dates back to 1986 when Éric Dhondt and Édith Grellet settled in Flavigny, in the very heart of the Côte des Blancs. In 2010, their son Adrien Dhondt took over the management of the estate at the age of 26, bringing fresh energy to the production.

The estate cultivates around six hectares of vineyards, primarily located in the Grand Cru and Premier Cru sites of the Côte des Blancs. The vines, averaging 40 years of age, are predominantly Chardonnay, complemented by smaller amounts of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The entry cuvées "Dans un Premier Temps" and "Les Terres Fines," immediately showcase the elegance and minerality of the terroir and the single vineyard wines stun with their verve and complexity.

Le vignoble est conduit en agriculture biologique et un profond respect du terroir reste au coeur des pratiques de la Maison. Adrien Dhondt privilégie une vendange quelque jours plus tard que la moyenne, pour conférer a ses vins une maturité phénolique optimale, et éxécute un élevage  en fûts de chêne pour apporter complexité et profondeur à ses vins. En minimisant l’usage de produits chimiques et en appliquant des méthodes de vinification rigoureuses, le domaine s’attache à produire avant tout des "vins" de haut vol, qui témoignent fidèlement des climats du domaine.