Champagne Dhondt-Grellet Extra Brut "Dans un Premier Temps"

Champagne Dhondt-Grellet Extra Brut "Dans un Premier Temps" is the entry point into Adrien Dhondt's quietly remarkable range, and it announces itself with both confidence and grace. The name translates to "In the First Place," a fitting introduction to a producer whose work bridges peasant farming traditions with an almost Burgundian reverence for terroir. The blend draws on all six hectares of the family's holdings across three distinct sites: fifty percent Chardonnay from Sézanne, thirty percent Pinot Noir from Avenay Val d'Or, and twenty percent Pinot Meunier from Cuis. Roughly seventy percent comes from the base vintage, with the remaining thirty percent drawn from a perpetual reserve solera maintained without interruption since 1986, lending a thread of continuity and quiet depth that no single harvest could provide on its own. The domaine was founded in 1986 when Eric Dhondt and Edith Grellet chose to estate bottle rather than sell their fruit to négociants. When Adrien Dhondt took over winemaking in his early twenties, the estate found a new gear. His philosophy, which he describes simply as peasant farming, is rooted in low yields, meticulous work in the vineyard, and an obsessive attention to place. In the cellar, Adrien ferments with ambient yeasts using a combination of old oak barrels and stainless steel, with no cold stabilization, fining, or filtration. The wines rest on their lees for approximately two years before disgorgement and are finished with a dosage of just two to three grams per liter, keeping the wine firmly in extra brut territory and allowing the chalk-driven minerality of the Côte des Blancs to speak clearly. The nose opens with white flowers, apricot, almond skin, and peach blossom, giving way to yellow apple, ripe citrus, and toasted brioche. On the palate it is at once creamy and precise, with vibrant acidity, roasted hazelnut, and a long, saline finish marked by the chalky minerality that defines the best expressions of Champagne terroir. It is elegant, refreshing, and genuinely exciting: a first impression that leaves you wanting everything that follows. Drink it on its own as an apéritif, with oysters on the half shell, roasted chicken with tarragon, or aged Comté. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.