Dehours & Fils Lieu-Dit Maisoncelle Réserve Perpétuelle 2013-2017 NV

Ratings

January 28, 2025

A compelling wine that speaks with quiet authority. The nose unfolds with a sophisticated array of aromas: notes of smoke, fresh bakery notes, toasted nuts, aged cheese, and damp cellar. The aromatic profile is further enhanced by delicate bitter herbs, notably tarragon. On the palate, it shows impressive balance - the acidity is precise and energetic, while the texture is beautifully crafted. What's particularly striking is its measured intensity; it delivers depth and complexity without overwhelming, maintaining freshness and seamless integration throughout. Oxidative notes add complexity without dominating. While clearly still in its youth, it's already showing remarkable finesse. Particularly noteworthy is how it outperformed more prominent names in a blind tasting. Amusing.

August 13, 2024

Dehours is definitely a discovery! All the Réserve Perpétuelle I've tasted so far are incredible. This one offers a charming and intense bouquet of bakery, fried nuts, dried cheese, with hints of damp cellar and bitter herbs. Nice intensity—it's round, long, and a bit pushy, but fresh, flavourful, and seamless with neat oxi notes mixed with tarragon and bitter herbs. Neat. I need to give it another try.

About Producer

Dehours & Fils was one of those completely unexpected and deeply satisfying discoveries. I was placing an order from a French website - on the hunt for some older vintages from Jacky Blot - and needed just one more bottle to complete the shipment. And then I thought, why not grab a bottle of Champagne?

I started reading up on the various producers they had in stock - most of them unfamiliar to me - and eventually landed on Dehours. I took a chance. No regrets whatsoever. The wine turned out to be absolutely stunning. Since then, I've made a habit of tucking a bottle or two from these folks into orders from different shops.

Dehours & Fils is based in Cerseuil, on the left bank of the Marne, in a landscape where Meunier dominates. Their 16 hectares are spread across over 40 parcels, with a patchwork of exposures and soils - clay-rich, landslide-prone slopes on limestone and sand rather than the more classic chalk. This is Meunier country, and the village is well-known as a source for Krug.

Jérôme Dehours, who took over in the late 1990s after studying in Beaune, was among the early growers to isolate single vineyard expressions and introduce oak for fermentation. Today, he picks late (with meticulous sorting when needed), works mechanically under the vines, and prefers large 500-litre barrels to smaller formats. His vins clairs are raised with plenty of lees contact to encourage texture and depth.