Domaine José Dhondt is comprised of 5 hectares of vineyards, mostly in the Grand Cru villages of Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, but also some small holdings in the Côte de Sézanne village of Saudoy. Third-generation winemaker José Dhondt, whose grandfather immigrated from Belgium in 1924, has been managing the estate and making the wine since 1976.
The domaine is farmed according to the precepts of lutte raisonée, a system of vine cultivation that is essentially organic and non-interventionist.
Dhondt gently presses his fruit in a traditional Coquard vertical press and, following a débourbage of 12-24 hours, decants the must into small (25hl, 58hl, 82hl) thermo-regulated stainless steel vessels for a 3 week controlled fermentation over selected CIVC yeasts, followed by malolactic fermentation. Dhondt doses with traditional liqueur.
• COUNTRY
• France
• REGION
• Champagne (Côte des Blancs)
• VILLAGES
• Oger (Grand Cru), Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (Grand Cru)
• WINEMAKER
• José Dhondt
• FOUNDED
• 1924
• VINEYARD AREA
• 5 hectares
• FARMING
• Lutte raisonnée
• WEBSITE
• N/A
