Champagne Henri Giraud
A great Champagne House that has remained highly discreet.
The history of this great Champagne House starts at the beginning of the 17th century, in 1625, with the installation of the Hémart family in Aÿ, one of the 17 villages whose land is classified Grand Cru. This appellation, a guarantee of quality, can only be indicated on the bottles of producers who have all their land in the Grand Cru designation.
The terroir of Aÿ, with its ideally oriented slopes and its limestone layer touched by the roots of the vine, is one of the most complete. It gives the grapes fruitiness, minerality and finesse like no other.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Léon Giraud married Madeleine Hémart and replanted the entire vineyard. He took the gamble of maturing his wines in oak barrels made exclusively from wood from the Argonne forest, straddling the regions of the Marne, Ardennes and Meuse. These unique barrels bring to Henri Giraud's cuvees this boldness, this elegance and this incomparable light woody taste, which has become the signature of the House.
In the early 2000s, Claude Giraud, Henri Giraud's son, took over the management of the estate from his father.
With him, the estate is in the hands of the 12th generation of the Giraud-Hemart family. Champagne Henri Giraud is one of the rare Champagne Houses that remains independent and family owned.
Sébastien Le Golvet, 13th generation (by marriage) of the Giraud-Hemart family, is the Cellar Master since 2004.
Over the generations, the Giraud-Hemart family has built a true Champagne legend. Generation after generation, the family has enlarged the domain to make it one of the most beautiful in Champagne.
Today, the House owns about 15 hectares, mainly planted with Pinot Noir on limestone soils and buys grapes from selected wine growers for a total equivalent to about 30 hectares. Among these are fabulous Grands Crus, which provide choice fruit for the House's prestige cuvees.
Despite this, the House has managed to remain highly discreet. In fact, the famous American wine critic Robert Parker wrote: "Henri Giraud, the greatest champagne you have never heard of".
The strength of Henri Giraud today is that it has remained true to its philosophy, ploughing its own furrow and challenging conventional wisdom in the world of fine wine. The result is a modern legend in the making.
Claude Giraud explains: "We are artisans, but we also draw inspiration from ancestral methods to take the next step, that of artistic creation. Since 1990, the freedom to think differently, the permanent curiosity and the demands of the Henri Giraud style lovers have naturally led us on the path of 0% stainless steel".
Henri Giraud Champagne lovers are undoubtedly among the most connoisseurs and the most sensitive to quality. Aware that the finest fruit is the only guarantee of exceptional quality, the House was one of the pioneers to adopt an approach of low yields and small harvest boxes.
Customization, creativity, respect for tradition... each Henri Giraud bottle is unique. A quest for perfection where craftsmanship and nature are at the heart of the creation process. The movement created by Champagne Henri Giraud is not a return to nature but a look towards a civilization of nature. According to Claude Giraud "each harvest requires an exceptional commitment, the establishment of the ideal point of maturity for each harvest is essential, as is the harvest schedule and the splitting of the grapes". After that, the cellar teams want to be as hands-off as possible.
As a cigar and wine and spirits store, we can only agree with the philosophy of this great Champagne House.
Indeed, in addition to the champagne cellars of the domain, so dear to the lovers of fine wines from all over the world, another treasure is hidden: the cigar cellar of the House. Henri Giraud evokes the multiple links that unite the worlds of champagne and cigars. The aromatic complementarity, the comparable in-the-mouth sensations and the complexity of the flavors offer possibilities of sophisticated alliances.
The parallels between the worlds of fine cigars and wine go far beyond aromas, flavors and pairings. With fine cigars, as with champagne, unique terroirs create depth and character. Only a complex and expressive cigar creates the swirl of smoke needed to accompany a great champagne. Indeed, the creation of a great cigar and a Henri Giraud champagne have much in common. Different terroirs, different varieties, different qualities of leaves or musts elaborated by distinct fermentations which are then joined together for a long period of aging, sometimes in oak barrels for the most beautiful parcels. The alchemical transformation and the maturation in small containers result in the extraordinary complexity that is the sign of a great cigar. And that of a great champagne too.
For Henri Giraud, this know-how and craftsmanship intrinsically link the two worlds. For a contrast between hot and cold that proves to be an amazing pairing for an aperitif, please pair a Partagás Serie E No.2 with the "Esprit Nature" cuvee. For a harmonious, rather than contrasting, pair the power and complexity of a Cohiba Behike with an Argonne Aÿ Grand Cru.
To return to the Henri Giraud champagnes, their salinity, intensity and aromatic complexity make this House one of the jewels of excellence of the Champagne region.
With an annual production of no more than 300,000 bottles, of which only a few thousand are reserved for vintage cuvees, Henri Giraud champagnes are coveted by collectors and wine lovers from all over the world.
CHAMPAGNE HENRI GIRAUD - Different cuvees and vintages available.
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