Champagne Henri Giraud is the oldest Champagne house still owned by its founding family the Giraud-Hémart family has farmed vines at Aÿ since 1625. However, it is only since current head Claude Giraud took over that the wines have been released under the family name.

Argonne is a fusion between the vine and the forest, of these two great historical terroirs in Champagne
the grapes from Aÿ and the oak barrels from the nearby Argonne forest, this cuvee is both fermented and aged in new wood for 15 months. This brings distinct toasty notes from the barrel combining with the power of the Pinot Noir red fruits. There is a powerful champagne a mix of spicy vanilla and bright concentrated Pinot fruit.

Weather:The 2012 weather has been hallmarked by many as very challenging but has created some stunning Champagne. Relatively low yields due to various weather conditions throughout the year. The winter months brought some frosts and hail which damaged the early stages of bud burst. August and September were very warm and this helped rescue and give the grapes a stunning maturity.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Aÿ-Champagne
Grape Varieties: 90% Pinot Noir | 10% Chardonnay
Fermentation: Vinified in new barrels from the Argonne Forest and rested on its lees for 15 months prior to bottling.
Ageing: 6 years on the lees
Disgorged: April 2020
Dosage: 6 g/l
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink: Now to 2045

Tasting Note: Unwinding in the glass with aromas of tarte tatin, mint, honeycomb, mirabelle plums, toasted bread and spices. Full-bodied, vinous and intensely concentrated, it's layered and elegantly muscular, with lively acids and a seamless, structured profile.

Contemporaries of Henri IV and his descendants, the Hémart family settled permanently in Aÿ at the beginning of the 17th century. Their history took root there and became closely interwoven with the momentous historical events relating to Champagne from the 18th century onwards. At the opening of the 20th century, Léon Giraud married Miss Hémart and reconstructed the magnificent family vineyard, which had been ravaged by phylloxera. Today, Claude Giraud, the 12th generation of the Giraud-Hémart family, is in charge of the fortunes of the family business.

The Giraud-Hémart family own 20 hectares - 35 parcels of Grand Cru land of which 26 is planted with Pinot Noir and 9 with Chardonnay. Only 17 of the Champagne region's 323 Crus are classed as Grand Crus (rated 100%). The wine production of Giraud estate is environmentally-friendly, subscribing to the 'lutte-raisonnée' (limited intervention grape growing).

The overall production is limited to 250 000 bottles a year, making the Giraud Champagne stand apart from the majority of bulk-producing champagne houses.

Winery Location: Ay | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Grande Vallée de la Marne
Annual Production (bottles): 250,000 bottles