Dhondt-Grellet Extra Brut Champagne 'Dans un Premier Temps' NV

93 points Sarah Mayo (The Wine Independent): "Dans un Premier Temps Extra Brut NV is a village blend of 50% Chardonnay from Sezanne, 30% Pinot Noir from Avenay Val d’Or and 20% Pinot Meunier from Cuis, with 2/3 coming from the 2020 vintage and the balance from a perpetual reserve started in 1986. It unwinds gracefully in the glass with delicate aromas of yellow apple, ripe white grapefruit, crushed red currants, fresh brioche and whipped honey then leads into a light to medium-bodied palate that is quite textural and contoured by supple, stimulating acid tension that lifts the plush mid-palate. Balanced and fresh, it finishes long and enjoyable. Disgorged January 2023 and finished with a two gram per liter dosage. Alcohol 12%. Drink: 2023-2033. (11/26/23)"

93 points/'Brut NV Champagne of the Year 2022 (Independent),' Tom Hewson (TimAtkin.com): "The 2019 base of Adrien Dhondt's first cuvée, blending 50% Sézanne Chardonnay with 30% Pinot Noir from Avenay d'Or and 20% Pinot Menuier from Cuis. 100% oak fermentation in barrels between one and five years of age. 30% perpetual reserves going back to 1986. Dhondt's wines just bolt out of the gates with tremendous density and expressiveness, broad with maple and roast apple intensity playing with apricot and praline in a style that is rich, but brilliantly tempered by the natural cut and thrust of the 2019 vintage. A fine success, with an extra notch of precision over 2018. (Dec 2022)"

92 points Anne Krebiehl, MW (Vinous): "The NV Extra Brut Dans un Premier Temps is a blend of 50% Chardonnay from Sézanne, 30% Pinot Noir from Avenay de Val d'Or in the Marne Valley and 20% Pinot Meunier from Cuis in the Côte des Blancs. The nose is open and immediately aromatic with creamy, ripe, mellow apple flesh, think crisply cut Red Delicious and porridge topped with fresh apple sauce. The palate hits that same apple mellowness, but plunges into salty resonance and depth. The fine mousse dissipates a little quickly but the saltiness and depth is exemplary, mouthwatering and appetizing. There is a lovely apple skin hint on the long finish. This is the last time Dhondt made this wine with this composition, future editions will have far more Sézannais fruit in them. Dosage is 3gr/L. Disgorged: October, 2022. Drink: 2023-2030. (Nov 2023)"

92 points Audrey Frick (JebDunnuck.com): "With 70% from 2019 and made from 50% Chardonnay from Sezanne, 30% Pinot Noir from Avenay val d'Or, and the rest Meunier from Cuis, the NV Champagne Dans Un Premiere Temps Extra Brut pours a rich straw appearance and takes a strong stance out of the gate. Coming out swinging, it opens to aromas of preserved citrus, honeycomb, saline broth, and golden apple. This moves seamlessly to the palate, which fills with ripe orchard fruit, a broad, pithy texture, and a mouthwatering finish. A bold entry to the range, it’s great for moving into these cooler months ahead. Drink 2023-2028. Disgorged in May 2023. 3 grams per liter dosage. Drink: 2023-2028. (11/17/23)"

91-92 points Essi Avellan, MW: "(50% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier). Chardonnay for this cuvée was grown in the Sézannais, while the Pinot Noir originates in Avenay-Val-d'Or and the Meunier in Cuis. A third from the house's perpetual reserve initiated in 1986 complements the 2019 base wine. The nose is beautifully expressive, with cool and crunchy appley fruitiness alongside emerging toastiness and a touch of wood. The palate plays less on fruit than on mineral notes, being well built, structured and full of character. Well balanced by fresh acidity and a fleshy, dense texture, the wine ends on a dry, chalky finish. (Feb 2023)"

91+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The Dans Un Premier Temps bottling from Adrien Dhondt is composed of a blend of fifty percent chardonnay, thirty percent pinot noir and twenty percent pinot meunier, with the vins clairs raised in both casks and stainless steel tanks and everything undergoing malolactic fermentation. The wine is from the base year of 2016, with thirty percent of the cuvée made up of reserve wines and Monsieur Dhondt allowed the vins clairs to age until May of 2017 before bottling the wine up for secondary fermentation. It was disgorged in June of 2019 and finished with a dosage of three grams per liter. The wine offers up a fine, youthful bouquet of apple, pear, hazelnut, brioche, chalky minerality, discreet smokiness and just a hint of buttery oak in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and youthfully snappy, with a superb core, fine mineral drive and grip, elegant mousse and a long, nascently complex and very nicely balanced finish. This is an excellent bottle in the making, but, at least for my palate, the wine deserves a year or two in the cellar to relax its girdle of acidity a bit more and really start to blossom. It is going to be lovely. 2022-2045. (Sep/Oct 2020)"

91 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "The NV Extra-Brut Dans un Premier Temps (2020) is the last vintage that Dhondt will produce of this "entry" cuvée, as he is going to isolate his vines from the Sézannais for a standalone bottling that's more coherent with his approach in the Côte de Blancs. The swan song rendition is very attractive, however, delivering notes of pear, white flowers and hazelnuts, followed by a medium to full-bodied, charming and vinous palate that's animated by a pillowy mousse. Drink: 202302029. (12/14/23)"