Average rating 4.9/5 stars across all Google and external reviews
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Bought directly from Moët Hennessy, the bottles are stored in bond at London City Bond Eton Park, in ideal conditions at a constant 13°C. For same-day deliveries, small quantities are kept in our office cellar, where the temperature is maintained between 11–13°C. We source all our bottles directly from the Maison or their official UK office, eliminating the risk of poor storage. This is crucial, as champagne quality is highly sensitive to heat: temperatures above 18°C accelerate maturity significantly, which compromises quality.
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: In 2013, the growth cycle was delayed, with the vines flowering as late as July in some places due to the long winter and cool spring. Hailstorms caused some damage, but overall the summer was hot and dry. The weather turned wet towards mid-September, causing outbreaks of rot. The harvest was long and started late, on September 24th. However, most of the picking of the abundant yield (12,0008 kg/ha) took place in cool conditions in October thus contributing to a classic cool and linear style of Champagne. Taking into consideration the challenging season, the wines have positively surprised with their pure fruitiness, racy palates and stylish restraint. There is heterogeneity in the results, but the best belong to the Champagne elite. This vintage is greatly underrated and will likely become better appreciated over time, when the region's most iconic wines are released.
Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Aÿ-Champagne
Grape Varieties: 90% Pinot Noir | 10% Chardonnay
Fermentation: Vinified and raised in new barrels from the Argonne Forest.
Lees Ageing: 6 years
Disgorged: 15th December 2020
Dosage: 6 g/l
Production: 5000 Bottles
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink: Now to 2040
Tasting Note: Unwinding in the glass with aromas of tarte tatin, apricot, honeycomb, nutmeg, brioche and spices. Full-bodied, vinous and intensely concentrated, it's layered and elegantly structured, with vivid acidity and a dry, racy finish
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
Sébastien Le Golvet - 2000 to current | Sébastien Le Golvet, Claude Giraud's son-in-law, joined the team and is now the Chef de Cave, overseeing the entire winemaking process
Expert Reviews
97+/100
William Kelley
“The 2013 Brut Grand Cru Aÿ Argonne is the latest in a series of superb releases from Giraud. Unwinding in the glass with notes of buttered toast, crisp yellow orchard fruit, honeycomb, warm spices and ripe stone fruits, it's full-bodied, deep and vinous, with a layered core of concentrated fruit, incisive acids and an elegant pearly mousse. Long and penetrating, it's finer-boned than its richer, more muscular 2012 predecessor; but like that more structured wine, it will reward bottle age.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“The producer thinks this is superior to the 2012. Let's see… Not yet released. Glowing pale copper color. It's certainly more savoury and lifted than the 2012 – and tighter with more tension. And more life ahead of it with real line and still lots of chewiness. Very racy indeed. Quite hard to believe this is informed by Pinot Noir. But there is a great undertow.”
96/100
Anne Krebiehl MW
“Gingerbread and honey highlight the mellow apple flesh on the nose. Highlights of caramel and candied citrus set accents. The palate is smooth, round, super-salty, with notions of corn husk, rye crust and an edge of miso on salted Golden Delicious flesh. a very layered, complex Champagne with a clean-cut, salty and very visceral umami finish.”
96/100
Antonio Galloni
“The 2013 Argonne is a typical Giraud Champagne built on textural opulence and vinous intensity. Apricot, nutmeg, spice, honey vanillin and new oak infuse the 2013 with striking dimension. Vinification and aging in 100% new oak exalts the natural richness of these old, south-facing vineyards in Aÿ. This is a fabulous showing for a vintage that saw quite a bit of rain and disease pressure right before harvest. As always, Argonne is a blend of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. Disgorged: December 15, 2020.”
97/100
James Suckling
“Tart tartine, brioche, green apple, and hints of ripe fresh herbs. Menthol, too. It’s very direct and powerful with vivid acidity and a dry, racy finish. Tight and compressed with an elegant structure. Linear and very energetic. Turns decadent and flavorful at the end. Shows the cold growing season. Subtle and complex”
