Grapes: 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir

Dhondt-Grellet story really begins in 1986, when Eric Dhondt & Edith Grellet began bottling under their own label. The family has taken their focus on farming to produce honest Champagnes from holdings across the Côte des Blancs. Eric & Edith’s son, Adrien, has taken over the winemaking and is continuously pushing to take the wines to the next level. Adrien believes in having a healthy, living soil with a good balance between microbial life and the vine. Both organic and biodynamic practices are used in the farming. In 2021 Adrien introduced horse drawn plowing to his farming practices, his horse is aptly named Thor.

Adrien has long been working towards using only barrels for his wines. All of the wines go through malolactic on their own and primary ferments are done on native yeasts. All of the cuvées receive small amounts of SO2, average dosing is 40 ppm total.

Fruit for ‘Roc Solare’ comes from meticulously selected plots in the flinty soils of the Côte de Sezannais. Apples, citrus fruit, and hazelnut leap from the glass, and are followed by a dry, yet creamy palate that shows a richness from the addition of mature reserve wine.