While some favor luxury marketing or colorful packaging, Henri Giraud sticks to minimalist styling. While winegrowers in Champagne are in the spotlight for their approach to sustainability, the wine house has released its Coteaux Champenois bottles with a triple Zero guarantee: no pesticides, insecticides, or herbicides.
Henri Giraud prioritizes the expression of terroir and complex aging techniques rather than the traditional focus on dosage or blending as is common with other producers.
Champagne Henri Giraud stands out for its uniqueness in the global Champagne market, under the leadership of Claude Giraud. Claude is the 12th generation of the Giraud-Emart family, whose roots in the Champagne region date back to the 17th century. Together with his son-in-law Sébastien Le Golvet, who has been the winemaker since the mid-2000s, he has turned the house of Henri Giraud Champagne into a benchmark for collectors and Champagne connoisseurs around the world.
The mysterious wisdom of the forests
In addition to carefully studying the terroirs of the vineyards, Henri Giraud has spent the last 30 years studying the diverse oak species in the Argonne Forest to find the perfect wood and wine pairing. "This forest, which is very close by, is famous for its porous gaize soil, causing the oaks to grow slowly and produce dense, fine-grained wood. It was previously used to build ships, and allows for amazing precision in aging wine,’ shares Sébastien.
Working actively with the French National Forestry Office (ONF) to protect and study the Argonne Forest, the house of Henri Giraud has turned the care of its wood into a veritable crusade. A month before the harvest, Sébastien carries out a rigorous analysis of the grapes' maturity.
Once he accurately determines the grape profile, he orders the right wood. Each barrel is customized to the specific juice, taking into account its provenance and the degree of oak barrel roasting. In each such vessel, the Champagne wine slowly develops its rich, deep, and structured flavor profile. This is the essence of Henri Giraud: a wine where a subtle sparkle emphasizes the pristine quality of the material and gently leads you to discover harmony.
Did you know?
It takes 180 years to grow an oak tree. In today's fast-paced world, planting an oak tree is a meaningful action. Each of us can contribute to the preservation of the surrounding forests. This was the reason for Henri Giraud to start a project in 2013 to protect the local Argonne forest - the Forever and Ever Argonne campaign in collaboration with the French National Forestry Office (ONF). With every bottle of ARGONNE cuvée sold, young two-year-old oak trees are planted and their care for the next five years is fully funded. The program to protect the Argonne Forest and preserve Champagne's heritage continues, with more than 50,000 new oaks already planted.