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.

Created by the 8th generation of the Henriot family, Gilles de Larouzière has created L'inattendue, "The Unexpected," wanting to show off the strength of single village Chardonnay selecting four vineyards in Grand Cru village of Avize to show case "The Unexpected" terroirs, the first in a series to highlight memorable terroirs over the coming years.

The champagne has the beauty of pure, ripe chardonnay, citrus with hints of tropical dominate the aromatics and when you taste it you see some of the richness in the texture, that chalky rich mid palate and more vanilla and patisserie notes come forward. Finishes super fresh and energetic. A striking new champagne that looks set for a long future.

Weather: The 2016 vintage was not without its challenges. There was frost in late spring and very low temperatures in the vineyards, followed by a wet May, June and July, which increased the threat of disease. Thankfully August was warm and dry, which saved the crop, and harvest began on schedule in September. Fruit-forward, lush wines with vibrant acidity.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru Avize, Côte des Blancs, 4 plots: Les Regards, Les Avats, Les Chanteraines & Les Roches
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Lees Ageing: 4 years
Disgorged: 2021
Dosage: 4 g/l
Drink: Now for 10+ years

Tasting Note: Very fine nose with chalky restraint underneath extremely pure and transparent fruitiness. Ripe lemon and lemon confit notes meet the richness of tropical nuances, licorice and vanilla. On the palate the lazer-like precision is further accentuated by the wine’s fine, focused acid line and scintillatingly energetic feel. Youthful still yet there is further richness building up. The wine’s freshness, intensity and perfectly pure aromatics promise it a fine future. - Tasted by Essi Avellan MW