NV Dohndt-Grellet Les Terres Fines

The bright yellow NV Champagne Blanc De Blancs Les Terres Fines Extra Brut comes almost entirely from old vines (around 50 years old), grown in a mosaic of 0.4-hectare plots, with each bringing its own personality to the blend. The palate has notes of lemon custard, preserved apples, golden fruit, salinity, and sapidity. Medium to full-bodied, it has a more straight feel compared to the Roc Solare, but it also has more length and a long, savory profile, with a frothy mousse and a note of white pepper spice. 2.5 grams per liter dosage. 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

Wafting from the glass with aromas of honeyed orchard fruits, freshly baked bread and frangipane, Dhondt's NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Les Terres Fines (2019) is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a satiny attack and a deep, seamless mid-palate that's girdled by racy acids. Penetrating and precise, it's already beautifully integrated only shortly after disgorgement.

Disgorged in June 2021, the NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Les Terres Fines (2018) offers up aromas of ripe citrus fruit, green apple, fresh bread, peach and toasted nuts. Full-bodied, ample and vinous, it's fleshy and generous, with lively acids and an enlivening pinpoint mousse. Seamless and complete, it concludes with chalky grip.