Champagne Henri Giraud: oak at the centre of attention

April 16, 2024

Champagne Henri Giraud: oak at the center of attention

The Champagne house Henri Giraud, which is based in Ay, was dubbed by Robert Parker in 2005 as possibly "the best but little-known house of Champagne". The Giraud family has been involved in winemaking since 1625, but it wasn't until Claude Giraud, the twelfth generation, started producing Champagne under the family brand. Production is limited, especially the flagship vintage Argönne, for example, the 2013 vintage was produced in quantities of around 7,000 bottles.

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.

Local oak

Claude Giraud prefers to use oak from the local Argonne forest, which is only 70 kilometers from his winery. These oaks grow extremely slowly due to the unique, rare, porous, and well-drained soils in the area. Similar soils, consisting of sedimentary rock and sandstone, can only be found in one other place on the planet - Central Asia. Due to this soil characteristic, the oak has a fine grain, which allows the barrels to retain a moderate oak influence without going over the edge.

However, Maison Henri Giraud argues 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, supple, and richer character. The winemaker, Sébastian Le Golvet, personally selects and procures the trees for the barrels, sending the wood to local cooperage workshops where it is used to make 228-litre barrels to Burgundy standard.

The house also runs a tree replanting program to ensure that used specimens are replaced, with plans to replant 30,000 trees each year. Barrels are typically used for six years.

An inexhaustible source

Each Henri Giraud Champagne contains wine from its perpetual reserve, enhancing the complexity of the wine. This reserve was created in 1990 and is replenished by 20% each year. The reserve wines are stored in steel-coated concrete tanks in underground cellars beneath the Marne River. This ensures a stable temperature of 11˚C and minimizes movement, helping to preserve the quality of the wine.

In the house of Henri Giraud, it is not customary to talk about the exact dosage of dosage, which is around 6g/liter. It is considered more of a spice whose amount 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 time.

Collection

The Henri Giraud Champagne range is dominated by Pinot Noir, which is logical for a house based 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. Also in the range are the rosé Dame-Jane vinified in amphorae, the multi-vintage Champagne (MV), and the flagship cuvée Argonne and its rosé version aged in oak.