Champagne Henri Giraud, Hommage au Pinot Noir, Grand Cru, Brut (B2016)

Champagne Henri Giraud, Hommage au Pinot Noir, Grand Cru, Brut (B2016)

Product: 10008147488
Antonio Galloni, Vinous93/100
Decanter92/100
Prices start from £375.00 per case Buying options
Champagne Henri Giraud, Hommage au Pinot Noir, Grand Cru, Brut (B2016)

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Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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3 x 150cl magnum
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Description

Wonderfully expressive and powerful nose of baked apples, crumble, sweet biscuits and brioche. The palate is rich and creamy, yet there is plenty of freshness and poise to admire here. More red apple, plum, citrus zip and a deft touch of toast meld effortlessly into one another and it is here that the 100% Pinot Noir fruit really shines through. 40% reserve wine is used in the blend, based on the 2016 vintage, with only 6g of dosage seen per litre. Eleven months of oak aging takes place, followed by six months in tank, an unusual élevage for Champagne more commonly associated with Burgundy production. Drink 2021-2029.
Dominic Goddard-John, Senior Account Manager (November 2021)

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Critics reviews
Antonio Galloni, Vinous93/100
The NV Hommage au Pinot Noir is another fabulous wine in this range from Giraud. Rich, ample and creamy, the Hommage is so expressive today. The Hommage is 100% Pinot Noir done in an unusual style that sees eleven months in oak followed by six months in tank, an approach that is much more common for white Burgundy. In fact, I have never seen this élevage in Champagne. No matter, though, it all works. Red plum, kirsch, mint, chamomile and spice all meld together effortlessly. The Hommage is rich and generous, but is also light on its feet. This release is based on 2016, with 40% reserve wines. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. Disgorged: September 21, 2020.
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com Read more
Decanter92/100
This has a vivacious nose of ripe, fresh fruit, especially red berries, that interplays nicely with spicy and floral notes. The mouthfeel is plush but without a trace of heaviness, as the palate demonstrates perfect poise on its way to a magnificently long and seemingly weightless finish. 100% Pinot Noir, dosage 6g/L, disgorged February 2020.
Yohan Castaing for Decanter Read more

About this WINE
Henri Giraud Champagne

Henri Giraud Champagne

Claude Giraud is the 12th generation of the Giraud-Hémart family to preside over the family business and produce Henri Giraud Champagne in Aÿ.

The Henri Giraud Fût de Chêne is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, using the 'Petit Pinot' clone of Pinot Noir which has been grown solely in Aÿ since 1804. The wine is 100% oak fermented, a practice not commonly used elsewhere in Champagne, the notable exponents being Bollinger (for their vintage Champagnes), Alfred Gratien and Krug.

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Brut Champagne

Brut Champagne

Brut denotes a dry style of Champagne (less than 15 grams per litre). Most Champagne is non-vintage, produced from a blend from different years. The non-vintage blend is always based predominately on wines made from the current harvest, enriched with aged wines (their proportion and age varies by brand) from earlier harvests, which impart an additional level of complexity to the end wine. Champagnes from a single vintage are labelled with the year reference and with the description Millésimé.

Non-vintage Champagnes can improve with short-term ageing (typically two to three years), while vintages can develop over much longer periods (five to 30 years). The most exquisite and often top-priced expression of a house’s style is referred to as Prestige Cuvée. Famous examples include Louis Roederer's Cristal, Moët & Chandon's Dom Pérignon, and Pol Roger's Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.

Recommended Producers : Krug, Billecart Salmon, Pol Roger, Bollinger, Salon, Gosset, Pierre Péters, Ruinart


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Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.

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