2019 Dhondt-Grellet Les Nogers Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
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One of the best wines I have tasted from this estate, the 2019 Champagne Blanc De Blancs Les Nogers Extra Brut has a nose that’s gorgeous and layered, evolving as it opens in the glass. A seamless, intense wine, its licorice, lemon custard, and salty notes linger for ages on the palate, accompanied by accents of spice and energy that are long and sustained. It has structure yet it’s seamless, it’s powerful yet refined, and it goes on for ages. Drink over the coming decades. Adrien Dhondt took over the winemaking duties at this estate from his father in 2012 and has been joined by his sister. He aims to achieve very ripe, concentrated grapes with lower alcohol. 2021 was a difficult season, with very low yields and a late harvest, but he was pleased with the quality of the grapes. The vines are massale selection going back to the 1960s, and some noble rot was present. In the cellar, he has transitioned from Burgundy barrels to 3,000-liter barrels to achieve less lees contact and a rounder, more integrated profile
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Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com
Kristaps Karklins, Wine Advocate
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One of the highlights of the cellar this year is the 2019 Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Les Nogers. Disgorged in July 2024 with one gram per liter dosage, it is sourced from two different altitudes and geological profiles within the same lieu-dit in Cuis, planted with massal selection Chardonnay in 1974. Both sites, facing northwest, are harvested, pressed and vinified separately, with the most pronounced barrels selected for the final blend (while others are directed to Les Terres Fines and perpetual reserve). It seems this is the year when Adrien Dhondt has fully realized the site's potential, despite yield reductions due to early frost and August sunburn. Framed by 11 months of maturation in barrels (with about one-third new), the wine emerges from the glass with a bouquet of honeysuckle, cedar, tangerine peel and smoke. Full-bodied and concentrated, the palate is layered and intense, concluding with a long, sapid finish. Compared to the 2021-based Cramant and Les Terres Fines, the new Les Nogers is more fleshy and textural yet balanced by significant dry extract and acidity. It stands as one of the high points in the portfolio and is well worth seeking out.