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Dhondt-Grellet Champagne Extra Brut Dans Un Premier Temps NV

$7999

Made in a traditional Brut style with 50% Chardonnay from Sezanne, 30% Pinot Noir from Avenay Val d'Or and 20% old vine Pinot Meunier from Cuis.

Shipping

Every step of the journey is managed to uphold the integrity of each bottle.

  • Nationwide Access: Flat-rate shipping available to most U.S. states with delivery in 3-5 business days.
  • Temperature-Monitored Shipping: We closely monitor weather conditions and make informed decisions to ensure shipments travel safely, with insulated packaging and refrigerated transport available when required.
  • Wine-Specific Protective Packaging: Specialized materials designed to maintain label integrity and prevent breakage during transit.
  • Provenance Assured: All wines are maintained in climate-controlled conditions at our shop until the moment of dispatch.

Returns & Exchanges

We stand behind every bottle we sell.

  • If the wine is less than 10 years old and it is corked, you may return it to us for a full refund or exchange within 60 days of purchase. You must show us proof of purchase. We understand that you may not live near a shop and that it is difficult to ship open bottles of wine to us, so if there's any problem feel free to Contact Us and we'll work it out.
  • For wines older than 10 years, the consumer bears the risk of a faulty cork, but we accept returns of older bottles if the wine is faulty as a result of improper storage. Please come by the store or Contact Us if there is a problem.
  • We may, at our discretion and to the extent permitted by law, accept returns of unopened wines within 30 days of purchase if they were properly stored by the purchaser, subject to a 15% re-stocking fee.

View our complete return policy →

Have Questions?

Our team is here to help.

Hours

Monday - Friday: 11am - 8pm

Saturday: 12pm - 5pm

CLOSED SUNDAYS

Email: help@flatiron-wines.com
Phone: (415) 780-1405


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Antonio Galloni

92 points

"The NV Extra Brut Assemblage Dans un Premier Temps is a blend of 50% Chardonnay from Sezanne, 30% Pinot Noir from Avenay val d'Or and 20% Meunier from Cuis with the Chardonnay very much front and center in the wine's floral and citrus/driven profile. Bright, focused and tightly wound, this gorgeous, entry-level Champagne from Dhondt-Grellet hits all the right notes. This release is 70% 2016 and 30% perpetual reserve going back to 1986. The low dosage of 4 grams per liter adds to the wine's taut feel. Disgorged: March, 2019." —Vinous

More about Dhondt-Grellet

What used to be impossible in Champagne is now possible.

The man who will guide us towards today’s new frontier is Adrien Dhondt-Grellet. He is only 25 or so, but he was lucky enough to be born into a family that produces Champagne. Better yet, his Mom and Dad made a huge change even before he was born. Back in the mid-1980s, they stopped selling their grapes to negociants and became grower-producers. That may sound commonplace now, but it isn't really, and it was exceptionally rare back in the 80s.

Adrien is from the village of Cuis. Cuis is in the heart of the Cote des Blancs, so naturally Chardonnay is the grape of choice. But Cuis stands apart from some of the villages that are somewhat better known, like Cramant or Avize, because most of its slopes face north.

Think about that. The whole reason Champagne exists where it does is because it’s at the northern limit of where you can ripen grapes. Historically it’s so hard to ripen grapes there that the local tradition developed of blending vintages to mitigate risk, and disguising the problem with preserved carbonation and added sugar (known as "dosage"). But in Cuis, they make it even harder by facing the vineyards away from the sun!

So, in the old days, Cuis' grapes were used to add acidity and nerve to a blend--and even then the Champagne was heavily dosaged. In fact, that’s still what happens to most of Cuis' grapes.

But Adrien Dhondt-Grellet does the impossible: he makes a wine exclusively from Cuis, and he makes it with no dosage at all. Yes, it is steely and nervy. But it also tastes rich and fully ripe.

How does he do it? Partly it’s through the kind of obsessive, careful, vine-by-vine work in the fields that is only possible when you know you are going to be bottling your own wine and putting your name on it. And partly it's once again thanks to Mom and Dad. In 1986, they started a Solera (or, technically, a perpetual reserve), to which they add some wine every year, and from which they pull some wine every year for the new release. It is one of the oldest such reserves maintained by any Grower in Champagne. There are now plenty of older vintages in the blend -- almost 30 vintages! -- and they are one of the keys to the wine’s richness and complexity.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Chardonnay , Pinot Meunier , Pinot Noir

  • Vintage

    NV

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Sustainable

  • Style

    Earthy , Fruity , Minerally

  • Sweetness

    Champagne Extra Brut , Dry

  • Body

    Light Bodied