Champagne Dhondt Grellet - Les Terres Fines - Premier Cru 2022
In Flavigny, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, Dhondt-Grellet is one of those Champagne estates whose recognition has been built on an increasingly precise reading of the terroir. Founded in 1986 by Éric Dhondt and Édith Grellet, the house took on a new dimension with Adrien Dhondt, who returned to lead the estate in 2012 with a strong sensitivity for terroir-driven vinifications. His work relies on a mosaic of parcels located notably in Cramant, Cuis, Chouilly, Sézanne, and Avenay-Val-d'Or, with a clear dominance of Chardonnay. In this Champagne geography, Cuis holds a precious position: a Premier Cru village of the Côte des Blancs, neighboring Cramant, where chalk quickly emerges beneath fine and light soils. Les Terres Fines perfectly reflects this identity, with a Champagne that favors line, salinity, and texture precision rather than immediate breadth. The cuvée expresses one of the most delicate facets of the Dhondt-Grellet style, that of a blanc de blancs built on chalky tension and the energy of Chardonnay. It is aimed at lovers of finely crafted, deep, and gastronomic Champagnes, capable of gradually revealing themselves in the glass.
This cuvée is made from Chardonnay mainly from Cuis Premier Cru, complemented by some vines from Grauves, on parcels averaging forty to fifty years old. The soils are marked by a thin layer of sandy earth, often only twenty to thirty centimeters, before reaching the live chalk that gives the wine its length and saline sensation. The 2022 base forms the heart of the blend, complemented by about 30% of a perpetual reserve initiated in 1986, an important element in the balance of this bottle. This reserve brings depth, aromatic patina, and continuity of style, while the 2022 harvest retains the fruit's momentum and the clarity of the vintage. Fermentations on indigenous yeasts and aging on fine lees in barrels of several wines accompany the material without masking it. The very low dosage, around 1.5 g/L, places this Premier Cru in an extra-brut register, straight and precise, but without excessive dryness. Les Terres Fines 2022 thus stands out by a very pure expression of Chardonnay, where the fruit's maturity is held back by the chalk and a long freshness sensation.
The color offers a clear, luminous gold, crossed by a fine and regular effervescence. The nose opens on ripe lemon, reinette apple, pear, white peach, and some fresh citrus touches, then gains depth with notes of white flowers, light hazelnut, fine biscuit, and wet stone. On the palate, the attack is precise, carried by a delicate bubble that highlights the texture without dominating the wine. The material is both slender and flavorful, with ripe fruit, clear chalky tension, and a saline finish that prolongs the tasting for a long time. The balance rests on this very successful opposition between the discreet gourmandise of the 2022 vintage and the verticality of the Cuis terroir. At the table, this Champagne will remarkably accompany meaty oysters, sea bream tartare, just-seared langoustines, turbot with lemon butter, seared scallops, or an aged Comté cheese. Served around 10 to 12°C in a sufficiently large glass, it will better reveal its relief, chalky nuances, and the precision of its finish.
Grape variety: Chardonnay
