The Champagne Purist: Jérôme Dehours and the Return to Terroir

Jérôme Dehours doesn’t make Champagne to impress, he makes it to express. With a deep reverence for land, legacy, and instinct, his wines reflect a quiet revolution unfolding in the Vallée de la Marne.

After the early loss of his father and the sale of the family estate, Jérôme and his sisters reclaimed their vineyards in 1996, and with them, a commitment to authenticity over artifice. Influenced by Burgundy’s focus on place, he crafts wines that "happen to sparkle," letting terroir speak louder than technique.

Jérôme champions Pinot Meunier, a grape often overshadowed in the region, and was the first to list lieux-dits (single-vineyard sites) on his labels, a radical act of transparency once dismissed by Champagne’s authorities.

His methods blend tradition and minimalism: a Coquard basket press, native yeast fermentation, malolactic in bottle, and aging in large wooden vats. Every choice is guided by observation, not analytics from vine to bottle.

In a rare tasting captured on The Wine Centric Show, Troy Revell, Wine Director at Fearrington House, joins Jérôme to explore these site-driven Champagnes that favor character over conformity.

Key Topics:

• How a personal loss became a professional rebirth

• The significance of terroir in Champagne’s future

• Why Pinot Meunier is finally having its moment

• What lieux-dit labeling reveals about wine identity

• How traditional tools shape modern expressions

• The role of instinct in low-intervention winemaking

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We’re grateful for the support of our episode partners, including Fearrington House, Heather Donovan Real Estate, and Conscious Strong.