"Adrien Dhondt has been making some of the most compelling yet approachable wines in Champagne"

Dhondt Grellet

In 1986 Dhondt-Grellet was started by Adrien's parents. Unlike many other producers in Champagne at this time, they had an affinity for healthy farming. Adrien took over in 2012 and has slowly been making changes to the wine, putting an emphasis on different cuvées highlighting their parcels and what Chardonnay can do in them.  

Adrien is not certified organic, but as we often mention this doesn't say much. He is currently plowing by horse, free of herbicides and pesticides, and making his own compost with his main goal of creating microbial life to enrich the vine cycle. He has always looked to Burgundy for inspiration, realizing parcels in Champagne have unique terroir as well that deserve to be showcased. Yields are low and the grapes are harvested at optimal ripeness. In the cellar fermentation and aging happen in large oak barrels. The wines spend eight months on the lees without cold stabilization, filtering or fining and topped up as needed.

Domaine de la Cras was formerly a winery that had fallen into the hands of the city of Dijon; Marc Soyard was chosen from among many applicants to fill the winemaking void, primarily based on his vision for sustainable, organic winemaking, and his incredible experience with the legendary Jean-Yves Bizot.

Domaine de la Cras

"This is not your typical Napa Chardonnay. This is not your usual Chablis. This is something different, new, unique; something for the thoughtful drinkers. " -David

After his winemaking studies, Marc Soyard first experienced winemaking at the Vins de Viennes projact under Rhone legends Pierre Gaillard, Francois Villard & Yves Cuilleron. The Jura native then made his way to Burgundy where he became the vineyard manager for Jean-Yves Bizot, following his tutelage in the cellar as well.

Now, Bizot's hallmark was forever strong viticulture, trying to be as hands-off as possible, but this of course mandates a sharp eye in the vineyard to create the healthiest fruit possible, and thus allow the winemaking process to essentially guide itself. Around this time, the city of Dijon sought an up-and-coming vigneron to take on the Domaine de la Cras, a monopole of great potential within the city. Soyard was elected based strongly on his resume and potential, all for the small price of gifting a number of bottles back to the city each year.

Marc has elevated the land primarily, which can be called either Bourgogne or also Coteaux du Dijon, the only Domaine in Burgundy allowed to do so. The practices in the vineyard and the cellar are largely hands-off, serving to create a vibrant, biodiverse vineyard that will create pure, healthy fruit that in turn will largely need nothing added during the fermentations.

Some new wood is used, depending on the vintage and cuvée; oak is preferred from local forests, and some chestnut and acacia barrels have been utilized. Coteaux is sourced from the lower-elevation vineyards while Cras is from the steeper slopes; Cras will undergo a longer elevage as it is more intensely structured.

Soyard's Coteaux du Dijon Chardonnay "Cras" is no joke; the Cras comes from the steeper part of the slope, adding a brilliant snap to the wines which provides a beautiful verve to his longer elevage in oak, the freshness and breadth playing together perfectly. The clay-based soil with limestone underneath would normally be favored for Pinot Noir, but Soyard's ability to adapt each varietal to his land is adroit.

"Soyard's ability to squeeze in so much flavor will have you admiring his craft, and leaave you engulfed with enjoyment in every sip. " -David

Marc also owns two plots of his own in the Cote d'Or, one parcel of Bourgogne near Ladoix, and another in the Hautes-Cotes de Nuits.

"Family-run estate is verbiage we are all too familiar with. Usually it is family-run and one family member is making the wine while the other is working the books; the Pressanda family has a different definition of this. "

Ca' di Press

The vineyard and cellar work truly is a family affair and when speaking about family, this also importantly includes the place they are from, Perno. Alice & Cristina's grandparents have owned land in La Morra and Monforte since 1900 historically were a farming family that sold their grapes. Their father, Bruno, has spent most of his career overseeing and working their 7.5ha estate. He knows the land, the vineyards, and the grapes like the back of his hand. When Alice and Cristina decided to get involved in the family business, they didn't do so by fully taking over, but rather working together with their father, seeking to absorb the amounts of of knowledge he had that could be passed along, the depths of which couldn't just happen overnight.

Historically, the family sold off all of their grapes and kept a small amount for family and friends. Little by little, they have stopped selling their grapes and are now producing 3 of their 7.5ha, and trying to create in the bottle, what Perno is to them. 2018 was the first vintage they vinified at home and decided to sell themselves. The oldest vines in Perno were planted in 1960 - Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, and Barbera. Their production is slowly increasing along with the winery!

The history of Ca' di Press begins in the early 1900s, driven by love for nature, and also by necessity. An activity borne of a close bond with their territory and linked to the atmosphere of when wine was made for family, friends and for a few customers who often ended up becoming friends, too. This is where their name Cà di Press takes its inspiration from - in Piedmontese dialect this means “House of the Pressenda” - to them their wine is passion but above all it is home. Even though their family is by no means new to Perno, they are on a new journey together, one that fits seamlessly with Thatcher's Imports.

Viticulture and Vinification

All of their wines are fully de-stemmed. Right now, fermentation is happening in stainless steel tanks. The Langhe Nebbiolo and Barbera only see stainless steel. They believe the wine is a bit more sensitive to the wood and can easily become overpowered, and its best expression comes from absence of wood. They have recently started working with new foudres from two coopers, Garbellotto and Pauscha. To reduce the impact of the new wood, they chose Slavonian oak casks (25-30 HL). Right now, they are trying to be as hands-off as possible in the winery, letting the grapes take their own course, and simply overseeing the fermentation and aging and making decisions to best keep control and identity.