2014 Henri Giraud Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Wooden Box, Champagne

A beautiful deep gold colour. The nose has notes of hazelnut butter and yellow fruit, ripe Mirabelle plums with a fine minerality. Notes of chalk appear after a few seconds of opening, followed by freshness and a hint of aniseed. The palate is mineral and has a clean chalky attack and good fullness. Notes of citrus fruit, concentrated clementine, then a final note of fresh hazelnuts.

Sébastien Le Golvet, Champagne Henri Giraud

Champagne Henri Giraud, a Maison directed by Claude Giraud from an old family settled in Aÿ for several generations on a vineyard located mainly on the mountain of Aÿ.

Aÿ, a prestigious name that has always been part of the history of this wine-growing region, whose wines have been ranked among the world's finest for at least ten centuries. The kings of France have always been keen to own a plot of vines in Aÿ. Henri IV, King of France, even called himself "Sieur d'Aÿ". Until 1887, wines from the Champagne region were known as "vins d'Aÿ", and it was only then that these wines definitively acquired the name "Champagnes".

Today, 323 crus of Champagne have the right to produce Champagne, but only 17 are legally classified as "Grands Crus". Aÿ, classified as Grand Cru, is the geographical, qualitative and historical heart of Champagne.

The vines of this mythical terroir plunge their roots into the intimacy of the deep veins of its limestone to draw its Extraordinary expressions that are so mineral and flowery.

House Henri Giraud produces several qualities of Champagne but Premium Grands Crus has retained only a few, true to its charter.