2015 Henriot Brut Millesime, Champagne

Restrained, citrusy and stony, this shines with freshness, showing lime peel, garden peas and chalky minerality alongside salted butter and subtle whiffs of pastry. Light-bodied and zesty with long, fine bubbles. The tense, tight palate is leafy and almost phenolic with grip and substance yet balanced in the mineral finish. Drink or hold.

95 points jamessuckling.com

2015 Henriot Brut Millésimé is a Champagne of quiet authority, built on precision, restraint and a deep respect for place. This is a vintage that reflects both the character of the year and the long held Henriot philosophy of elegance over power. The fruit is drawn predominantly from grand cru and premier cru vineyards across the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims, where chalk soils are the defining force, delivering tension, finesse and age worthy structure.

Maison Henriot is one of Champagne’s most historic houses, founded in 1808 and still family owned. Chardonnay has always sat at the heart of the style, with Pinot Noir playing a supporting but essential role in shaping structure and length. The house is known for long ageing, low dosage and an almost Burgundian sensitivity to vineyard expression. The 2015 vintage, shaped by a warm, dry growing season followed by timely rain, produced wines of ripeness balanced by underlying freshness when handled with care. Henriot did exactly that.

Aromatically, the wine is refined and layered rather than overt. Lemon curd, ripe citrus and white peach lead, followed by yellow apple and subtle stone fruit. With air, more complex notes emerge. Acacia blossom, almond, hazelnut and gentle brioche build quietly in the background. There is also a chalky, saline note that anchors the wine firmly in Champagne, giving it poise and direction.

On the palate, the wine is composed and seamless. The mousse is fine and persistent, lending a creamy, polished texture without heaviness. Citrus and orchard fruit sit at the core, gradually giving way to toasted almond, pastry and a faint honeyed warmth. Acidity is present but beautifully integrated, providing lift rather than sharpness. The mid palate shows depth and calm confidence, while the finish is long, dry and mineral, tapering into chalk dust, citrus peel and gentle savoury notes.

This is a Champagne that truly rewards food. It is superb with oysters, scallops, turbot, roast chicken or dishes with subtle richness where its acidity and texture can shine. While already drinking beautifully, the 2015 Brut Millésimé has excellent cellaring potential. Over ten to fifteen years it will continue to evolve, developing deeper nutty, brioche and savoury complexity while retaining its core of freshness and balance.

Reviews of the wine consistently highlight its elegance, balance and classical structure rather than overt power. It is often described as refined, precise and quietly persistent, a Champagne that impresses through harmony and length rather than immediacy. This is a vintage Champagne for those who appreciate subtlety, patience and detail, and a superb example of the Henriot house style at full stretch.