Champagne Henri Giraud
A great grape variety, a great terroir and a great forest
Rooted in Aÿ for 400 years, Maison Henri Giraud maintains a strong connection not only with its terroir but also with the historic Argonne Forest. Here, just like the vines, the forest imparts different expressions of its own terroir to the wines: aromas, mastery of tannins, and a smooth texture. This alliance, along with innovation and tradition, is the hallmark of the House, conveyed through the ”Champagne of Tomorrow” philosophy conceived by Cellar Master Sébastien Le Golvet.
A Long History
The Giraud-Hémart family originated from the union of Madeleine Hémart, heiress to vineyards in Champagne, and Léon Giraud, a farmer’s son from central France. Léon, a cuirassier in the First World War, also had a distinguished career with the French railway company. The Giraud-Hémart family then settled in Aÿ, at their current headquarters, to replant and expand the plots inherited by Madeleine. After the Second World War, Léon and his son Henri founded Maison Henri Giraud, symbolizing the resilience of the union of two families. They restructured the vineyard, established a nursery to carry out rigorous massal selection, and began producing champagne under their own name. Claude Giraud, the 12th generation of the family, took over the management of Domaine Henri Giraud in 1982 and initiated its renewal, maintaining the tradition of vinification in oak barrels. He installed the first cellar with temperature-controlled vats in Champagne, with a membrane press, and expanded the barrel cellar. Claude revived the perpetual reserve, dating back to the 1950s, and nourished it exclusively with oak barrels from the Argonne forest. In 1990, the first Cuvée Fût de Chêne Aÿ Grand Cru was released, establishing the signature style of Champagne Henri Giraud and taking it to a whole new level. Today, his eldest daughter, Emmanuelle Giraud-Patour, has taken over the presidency of the House and continues this legacy.
House Philosophy: Grape Variety-Terroir-Forest Alliance
Claude also ensured the continued importance of the Argonne Forest, a historic landmark in Champagne, in the House’s philosophy and style. Compared to other French forests, whose oak is renowned for ageing wines, the wood from the Argonne Forest is ideal for ageing Champagne wines. Research has identified around ten terroirs within the Argonne Forest. This work has forged a connection between the Aÿ Grand Cru terroir and the forest. The ”Argonne” Cuvée, the culmination of this work, bears witness to this precious link between Henri Giraud Champagne and the Argonne Forest. In 2015, Sébastien Le Golvet, the Director and Cellar Master, replaced all the stainless steel tanks with Argonne oak barrels, making the purity of expression of the vine-forest alliance a signature of the House. He goes even further, customizing the barrels for each vintage.
Sébastien explains: “I oversee the creation of the barrels to find the best possible symbiosis between the profiles of the future wine and the aromatic components of the oak. The wood of the oaks from the Argonne forest, just like the vines, acquires a different character depending on its terroir: more tight and vibrant, or more fruity and rounded. Its dense and very fine grain limits the release of excessive tannins.” Sébastien also controls the toasting of the barrels. By mastering the toasting of the tannins, he achieves a touch of sweetness in the wines (Maillard reaction) without increasing their dosage.
This precise and complex work with wood serves to elevate the Aÿ terroir and the style of the House to excellence.
“The Champagne of Tomorrow”
This concept from the House embodies the alliance of grape variety, terroir, and forest: adapting to evolving viticultural conditions and maintaining the spirit of innovation, which remains part of its DNA, to continue producing great wines. For Henri Giraud, a great wine is defined by the phenolic ripeness of the grapes, their aromatic richness, and the signature of the terroir, regardless of the potential alcohol level. Champagne’s location at the northernmost limit of viticulture allows it to maintain a relatively low alcohol content, but in recent years Sébastien has observed it’s disconnect from the phenolic ripeness of the grapes.
To counter this phenomenon, Maison Henri Giraud focuses on achieving excellent phenolic ripeness in its grapes and the exceptional purity of expression of the terroir in Aÿ.
“The Aÿ terroir is a beautiful diamond, which needs a beautiful setting. And the setting is the Argonne forest.” Sébastien Le Golvet
In the cellar, the innovative bi-material barrels (oak staves and ceramic heads), patented by the House, allow for the concentration of sweetness in the wines without resorting to chaptalization or an increase in dosage. Traditional barrel heads, unlike staves, are not toasted. The tannins therefore remain raw and can impart their astringency to the wine. But the neutral ceramic head of the bimaterial barrels preserves the fruit and slightly sweet notes of toasted oak and vanilla, the roundness and smoothness of the wine, thus avoiding an increase in dosage for the Champagnes and creating a better harmony between the wine and the oak. Respecting nature and the purity of the fruit it yields, highlighting the terroir, and innovating to perpetuate traditions in the future – this is what the concept of tomorrow’s Champagne expresses, according to Champagne Henri Giraud.