Dehours & Fils NV Grande Reserve Brut Magnum
Dehours & Fils NV Grande Reserve Brut Magnum – alternate view 2
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Dehours & Fils NV Grande Reserve Brut Magnum

Dehours & Fils
$110.00

Grape: Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
Vintage: NV
Type: Sparkling

Presented in a magnum format for slow development, this grower Champagne combines pinot meunier, pinot noir, and chardonnay from Marne Valley clay soils. Jérôme Dehours utilizes reserve wines from a perpetual reserve started in 1998 to back the base harvest. Primary fermentation relies entirely on native vineyard yeasts, followed by a low-dosage disgorgement of one gram per liter to protect structural tension. Undergoing twenty-seven months of bottle aging, it showcases a classic grower profile.

It radiates a pale straw color with silver highlights and a persistent stream of silky bubbles. The nose opens with delicate aromas of fresh pear, peach, orange zest, and elderflower blossoms. A fleshy, medium-bodied framework balances a soft mouthfeel with a sharp beam of natural acidity. Crunchy flavors of dried cherry, raspberry, and salted almond develop nicely as the fluid mouthfeel expands. It finishes completely dry, leaving a mouthwatering trace of chalk and stone.

Jérôme Dehours took over the domaine in 1999 and started a conversion to organic viticulture, which is now complete. The domaine consists of 42 parcels, all within close reach of the winery. Dehours was the first producer in Champagne to offer “vins parcellaires” emanating from their lieux dits – a now commonplace practice. Total production is typically 70 -80,000 bottles a year, all of which are held back for an above-average period before release.

The wines are not filtered or fined, all enjoy a passage through wood, and they go through malolactic fermentation naturally in the spring. The yeasts used are indigenous, but Dehours makes their own cocktail of the best. Jérôme likes to employ the tailles, so often sold off by other producers, feeling that they impart useful and attractive qualities to the finished wines. The wines are fully aged on lees, and clarified by natural decanting, without filtration or fining.