Dehours et Fils Terriscope #21

BEDSTE KØB i René Langdahls store Blanc des Noirs-test, november 2025

"40 % meunier og 40 % pinot noir fra 2021 suppleret med reserveblanding fra 2019, doseret med 2 g. Jérome Dehours tryller igen og nu på et mere fornuftigt prisniveau. Jeg er kæmpefan af hans evner som både kreatør og præcis terroirfortolker – han mener det opnås bedst gennem sammenstik af flere årgange. Om han har ret, må man selv afgøre, men det ligger fast, at hans stil er oxidativ, modigt endda. Også her, dog mindre end i andre cuvéer fordi 2021-mosten er vinificeret i stål, hvor kirsebær og surmælksprodukter smelter sammen med parmesan og paranød. Det bider i munden som en helt frisk mirabellesaft og der er både subtile amontillado- og kombuchaindslag. Jeg tror igen der er lave høstudbytter og detaljeret plantepleje i gang. Fantastisk introduktion til husstilen. Læg mærke til kombinationen af kulsyre og vinsyre i eftersmagen – den er lækker." - 94 point, René Langdahl

"Located in Cerseuil, this 16-hectare domaine's holdings, divided among over 40 parcels, are situated on the left bank of the Marne, on one of its tributaries, encompassing a wide variety of expositions. Rich in clay and subject to landslides, these steep slopes are founded on limestone, not chalk, with a band of sand at around 120 meters in altitude, making for similarly diverse geology. Meunier is king in this sector, and the village is a popular source for Maison Krug. It's in this context that Jérôme Dehours crafts his complex, flavorsome, vinous Champagnes. In 1999, after studies in Beaune, Dehours introduced the domaine's first oak barrels and began isolating single vineyards. Today, he cultivates under the vine mechanically (with one complete cultivation per year); picks late with lots of sorting when it's required; and increasingly ferments in larger 500-liter barrels rather than their smaller counterparts, retaining lots of solids to nourish the vins clairs during their élevage. After pushing his wines in a rather more patinated, oxidative direction in the last few years, he's reining things in: subtly increasing the use of sulfites and refreshing his solera of reserve wines to avoid falling into extremes. His latest releases are all well worth following, and the quality he achieved in the 2017 vintage, especially challenging for Meunier, is testament to the seriousness that readers can expect at this address. I'll be hoping to catch up with his latest lieu-dit bottlings in the near future, but for now, everything reviewed here comes warmly recommended." - William Kelley, Wine Advocate