Henriot Champagne was officially founded in 1808 under Apolline Henriot. She was the niece of the very famous Abbé Godinot, an erudite man who contributed to improvements in viticulture and the making of the Champagne wine. Apolline, an enterprising woman of great character, sold her wines both in France and became a huge success with royalty and Champagne Henriot became the favourite firstly at the Dutch court, then in Austria and Hungary. She passed on her savoir-faire to her grandson, Ernest and there the Henriot family tradition was born. From generation to generation, the House of Henriot has devoted all its talent to creating the most superb wines from grapes carefully selected from the great terroirs on the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs.

Apolline Henriot believed Chardonnay to be a light with multiple intensities that she wanted to show to the world. When Paul Henriot, 3rd generation of the family, married Marie Marguet in 1880, owner of vines in the Côte des Blancs, Apolline’s desire for Chardonnay is fulfilled, twenty years after her passing. In order to pay tribute to this new vineyard for Maison Henriot, the family started to craft a champagne made exclusively from the lands planted with Chardonnay.

Weather in 2008: After a rainy but mild winter without any prolonged cold spells, spring arrived with some very localised frosts. Cool weather returned in June and the infrequent sunshine prolonged the feeling of freshness. The spring to autumn weather was bright with sunny spells and the long, hot days and cool nights during September gave the grapes excellent acidity during the harvest period. The 2008 vintage has emerged as the best since the renowned and now-legendary 2002 and potentially 2008 will show better over time as it has more restrained fruit than the showy 2002's.

There is no doubt this is one of the best value Jeroboam in the market!

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand & Premier Cru | 12 Crus from all key Chardonnay regions from Côte des Blancs to Trepail, Sézanne, Vitryat and Montgueux
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Reserve wines: 30% from their perpetual reserve
Disgorged: October 2019
Base vintage: 2008
Lees Ageing: 10 years
Dosage: 8 g/l
Drink: Now for 10+ years

Tasting Note: A great generosity characterizes this champagne. The diversity of wines selected in the blend offers an ample aromatic range in which exoticism and exuberance are balanced by elegance and finesse. Multiple aromas intertwine bringing great complexity from flambé pineapple and fresh citrus fruit notes to wet chalk and subtle pastry aromas. On the palate, this champagne has an incredible velvety texture accompanied by an extraordinary freshness.”