Dhondt-Grellet is a family grower-producer in Flavigny, a Premier Cru village in the Côte des Blancs, farming Chardonnay on the chalk and limestone soils of this zone and producing a range of zero-dosage and Extra Brut cuvées that document individual parcels and vintages within the estate’s holdings. Les Nogers is a specific lieu-dit within the Dhondt-Grellet portfolio, named for the walnut trees that border the parcel, and the Extra Brut designation confirms the restrained dosage approach that allows the wine’s natural Chardonnay character and the Côte des Blancs chalk mineral to express themselves without the moderating influence of sweetness. A 2013 vintage from the Côte des Blancs, now over a decade from harvest, will have developed the kind of autolytic complexity and secondary character that extended bottle development provides, while retaining the natural freshness and mineral precision that Premier Cru Chardonnay on chalk soils consistently maintains over time.

The 2013 Champagne vintage was one of the most challenging of the modern era, with very low yields from cold, wet conditions producing wines of high natural acidity and concentrated character that have developed beautifully in the years since release. For grower producers like Dhondt-Grellet, whose low-intervention approach and high-quality vineyard management produce wines of genuine individual character, the 2013’s low yields and cool freshness should translate into a wine of remarkable mineral tension and longevity. At over a decade from harvest, the Les Nogers 2013 is approaching its optimal drinking window, with the vintage’s natural austerity softened by the development of autolytic complexity while the wine’s fundamental mineral character remains entirely intact.

Dhondt-Grellet Blanc de Blancs from a specific Premier Cru parcel in a challenging vintage now at full maturity represents the most individually expressive and developed expression of this estate’s philosophy: a wine that rewards the patience required to allow it to reach its full potential, produced by one of the Côte des Blancs’ most thoughtful and quality-focused small growers.

Gold with a complex nose of preserved lemon, chalk mineral, brioche, toasted almond, honey and the distinctive deep silex-mineral precision of Premier Cru Côte des Blancs Chardonnay at full development. Medium-bodied with a vibrant, fine mousse, electric natural acidity and a long, bone-dry, mineral finish of great persistence and complexity. Drink now through 2030.