Henri Giraud Champagne
A Boutique Grand Marque
The Giraud-Hémart family have cultivated grapes in the Champagne region since 1625. Based in Äy, the family only started to produce wine for themselves in 1990. The current owner of the house is 12th-generation Claude Giraud. His son, Emmanuelle Giraud-Patour manages the company while his son-in-law, Sébastien Le Golvet, is the chef de cave.
Henri Giraud’s top cuvée, Fût de Chêne, is a Pinot Noir-dominant blend with a smaller proportion of Chardonnay, using the ‘Petit Pinot’ clone of Pinot Noir which has been grown solely in Aÿ since 1804. Meanwhile the new Esprit Nature cuvée is a Pinot Noir-dominant blend with Chardonnay and 50% reserve wine, with maturation taking place in small casks and ovoid vats. Production at Henri Giraud is limited to just 250,000 bottles a year – a remarkably small number in comparison with the Grandes Marques, which dictates that demand is always high.
