1989 Champagne Henriot, Brut Millésime
Critics reviews
Served by the jeroboam in the garden. Slightly cleaner and less basement-oriented than the usual release of this vintage. Fantastically well-structured and similar to ’88 Veuve Clicquot but with a more Chardonnay-oriented touch with green-yellow aromas and crunchy complexity. Wonderful length! Henriot are masters of purity in the vinotheque-versions.
Richard Juhlin, ChampagneClub.com (November 2021)
About this WINE
Champagne Henriot
Founded in 1808, the House of Henriot has a long and storied history of crafting exceptional Champagne. As a family-owned Champagne house, it has passed down the art of winemaking from generation to generation over the years.
Champagne Henriot is well-known for its commitment to quality, focusing on producing limited quantities of high-end, premium Champagne. They have access to some of the finest vineyards in the region, allowing them to source the best grapes to create their blends.
The house takes a traditional and meticulous approach to winemaking, utilising Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes to craft their Champagnes. This careful selection of grapes and their commitment to traditional techniques result in elegant and refined wines with a perfect balance of fruitiness, freshness, and complexity.
The range includes both vintage and non-vintage cuvées, with each bottle expressing the unique character of the Champagne region. Their wines have earned critical acclaim and are highly sought after by enthusiasts and collectors worldwide, making Champagne Henriot a symbol of luxury and excellence in the industry.
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
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
The price of the 300cl bottle, reduced from £763 previously, includes a 10% discount. This offer does not apply to BBX listings.
The 1989 Henriot is wonderfully fragrant, a stunning example of mature Champagne, and it will work as an aperitif and with food. One glass swirl confirms my suspicion that we often drink Champagne far too young.
Whilst the fresh fruit aromas have changed form, there is still immense freshness in this very large bottle. Hints of mushroom pastry, cooked apples and saffron can all be identified alongside a nuttiness, which is very moreish.
There are still some bubbles, but this is more about the complexity of the flavours. Crisp acidity means it isn’t cloying, and the finish goes on and on. If you want to experience a masterclass in mature Champagne, 1989 Henriot is the prime candidate for the job.
Drink 2021 - 2024
Tatiana Humphreys, Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd (November 2021)
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