Champagne
Champagne Henri Giraud
Champagne from 400-year-old Henri Giraud of Aÿ.
Founded: a family of winemakers since 1628
Vineyards: 10 hectares
Annual production: up to 260,000 bottles
Key wines: ‘Argonne’ Ay Grand Cru Brut, Blanc de Craie Brut, Ay Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut.
Henri Giraud is one of the oldest houses in Champagne and is still in the hands of the same family. The cornerstone is the use of a unique breed of oak that only grows in one other place in the world. Some of the cuvée undergoes 100% fermentation in oak (this is only found at Bollinger, Alfred Gratien, and Krug).
Henri Giraud is known for fermenting and aging its base wines in oak barrels, except the rosé wine Dame-Jane, which is vinified in 525-liter sandstone amphorae to emphasize its fruitiness.
Cellar chef Sébastien Le Golvet explains that Henri Giraud farms without pesticides or herbicides and produces its barrels.
The house also runs a tree replanting program to guarantee the replacement of used specimens, with plans to replant 30,000 trees each year. Barrels are typically used for six years.
Henri Giraud claims that oak has a significant impact on terroir, identifying 10 different terroirs in the forest. Two of these are particularly important: Châtrices, which gives the wine brightness, high acidity, and hints of graphite, and La Chalade, which enriches the wine with a softer, more supple, and richer character.
In the house of Henri Giraud, it is not customary to talk about the exact dosage, which is around 6 g/litre. It is considered more of a spice whose quantity depends on the winemaker's mood. The dosage can vary depending on the required adjustment of the wine's flavor, so Henri Giraud prefers not to fix this figure for a long period.
The Henri Giraud Champagne range is dominated by Pinot Noir, which is logical for a house located in Ay. The collection features the entry-level cuvée Esprit Nature NV, followed by the non-vintage Blanc de Craie and Hommage au Pinot Noir.
Every cuvée from Henri Giraud is beautiful, what is worth, for example, Dame Jane Brut Rose or Fut de Chene MV. The most ‘special’ cuvée is Argonne, named after the forest of the same name near Champagne, which the producer is actively involved in protecting. This cuvée is also aged in barrels made of wood from this forest. Aged on lees for a minimum of 8 years, the annual release is 4000 bottles.
The Champagne House of Henri Giraud was dubbed by Robert Parker in 2005 as possibly ‘the best but little-known house of Champagne’.