The thrilling Champagnes of Henri Giraud
'The Henri Giraud Aÿ Grand Cru Fût de Chêne Cuvée may be the most complex Champagne in Aÿ. I venture to put my neck on the block because of the perfect and varied siting of those 30 parcels in 14 lieux-dits… As so often in Champagne, the surest path to greatness usually involves a little blending of sites' - Michael Edwards, The Finest Wines of Champagne
His family have been Champagne growers since the 17th century, tending vines across a variety of top Ay sites. Why, asked Claude Giraud, were they not making their own Champagne? Which is just what he went on to do. Soon Robert Parker was calling Giraud 'the best Champagne you've never heard of'. The signature style that makes Giraud distinct comes as much from their great sites (and in particular, great Pinot Noir) as from Claude re-thinking Champagne top-to-bottom.
Like Krug and Bollinger before him, Claude quickly decided oak was the way to go. But he went a step further - not just any oak. It had to be local Argonne Forest oak, whose gently flattering qualities, he decided, would marry especially well with the Ay fruit. At a time when there were no guarantees about the origin of oak, Claude bent over backwards to make sure only Argonne barrels could get near his Champagnes. That still wasn't enough. The barrels have to be toasted in house to guarantee the particularly soft, slow toast Claude wants. He is philosophical about this: 'Exceptional Champagne demands exceptional commitment'. The result is a range of opulent Champagnes that are not obviously oaky at all, but which have an impressive depth and textural richness.
Fut de Chene is the Giraud flagship. MV17 is its most recent release, based on the 2017 vintage, with the balance coming from the house's solera-style perpetual reserve, which dates back to 1990. It is a vinous and complex cuvee, dominated by notes of citron, chestnut and brioche, very clearly Pinot Noir-led. Esprit Nature is made from the same blend as the Fut de Chene, and is vinified in barrels that have seen between three and six vintages; it offers a glimpse of the grand vin at a fraction of the price. /NT
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