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A little Thanksgiving reading for you... three "brilliant" "must-have" Champagnes"... at the BEST US PRICES
“another brilliant Champagne from Adrien Dhondt.” – Wine Advocate
Ever since I first tasted Adrien Dhondt’s incredible Champagnes I’ve been asking my supplier for some of this wine. Well finally I have an allocation of Dhondt-Grellet’s Les Nogers!
Adrien’s top rated Premier Cru Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs from the 2014 vintage. But I only have 24 bottles, so first dibs to Dhondt-Grellet fans!
Dhondt-Grellet Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs 2014 - $99.95 net (US best price online!)
95 pts Wine Advocate
Dhondt-Grellet is a small grower house based in Flavigny. In 1986 Eric Dhondt and Edith Grellet decided to stop selling their grapes to larger producers and negociants, to concentrate their efforts in estate grown Champagne from their holdings in the Cotes de Blancs. Their son, Adrien Dhondt, has taken over the winemaking in recent years, and this small producer has taken a meteoric rise in quality under his stewardship. Adrien, only in his 20’s, was awarded the prestigious vignerons of the year in 2017in the “Trophees Champenois a Epernay”. Dhondt-Grellet is a Champagne has to watch for sure, and for now at least their wines are really well priced.
“Les Nogers is an evolution from the cuvée Vielles Vignes Selectionnees, which Adrien made for the last time in 2011. Starting with the 2012, Adrien started to bottle the wine under the name of the lieu dit - Les Nogers. Adrien’s parcel in Les Nogers is of old vines, now over 50 years old. It is a particularly interesting lieu dit because it is on the same hill as Le Bateau (Cramant) but in the village of Cuis.” – Grand Cru Selections, Importer
“Disgorged in October 2019 with 2.5 grams per liter dosage, the 2014 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Les Nogers is showing beautifully, offering up an expressive bouquet of fresh peach, ripe lemons, golden orchard fruit and hazelnuts. Full-bodied, rich and fleshy, it's vinous and enveloping, with a concentrated core of ripe fruit, elegantly muscular structure and a fine, pinpoint mousse. Long and expansive, this derives from 50-year-old vines from a northeast-exposed lieu-dit in Cuis, characterized by chalky soils with pockets of sand. It's another brilliant Champagne from Adrien Dhondt.” – WA
(5 bottles) Vilmart Coeur de Cuvee 2012
Sale $149.89 – Beats Best US Price Online
96 pts Vinous
“The 2012 Coeur de Cuvée is magnificent. In this vintage Laurent Champs balances the natural intensity of the year with tremendous energy and vibrancy, making for a Champagne of remarkable beauty. Like all the Vilmart wines, the 2012 Coeur de Cuvée is super-refined. Even so, it is also incredibly tight and nowhere near ready. I find its depth, power and tension absolutely compelling. Bright saline notes, spice and floral accents extend the eternal finish. The 2012 is 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay. Don't miss it!” V
(5 bottles) Georges Laval Les Chênes, Brut Nature, 1er Cru 2016
Sale $156.99 – Beats Best US Price Online
96 pts Vinous
“A stunning wine, the 2016 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Grandes Crayères 1er Cru is also the most impressive wine in this range. Bright and finely sculpted, the 2016 possess dazzling energy to match its mid-weight personality. I very much admire the wine's drive and precision. The Grandes Crayères emerges from two parcels in Chavot that confer so much tension. It is a stunning Champagne in every way. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: February, 2020.” V
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