Dhondt-Grellet, Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 'Cramant', NV [2022]

Adrien Dhondt-Grellet is one of the standard-bearers of the grower Champagne movement, farming his family's plots organically and biodynamically, plowing by horse, and making wine like a Burgundian: barrel-fermented with native yeasts, full malolactic, no fining or filtration. This bottling is 100% Chardonnay from the Grand Cru village of Cramant, drawn largely from the lieu-dit La Garenne, so it carries Cramant's hallmark chalky finesse and salinity with a little extra breadth. It's finished extra brut with a whisper of dosage, which lets the terroir speak plainly. A grower Champagne for people who want precision and minerality over crowd-pleasing sweetness. Serve it in a proper wine glass, not a flute, to catch the texture.