Champagne Henri Giraud - Argonne - Ay Grand Cru 2013
The Champagne House Henri Giraud is located in the commune of Aÿ, in Champagne. The Giraud-Hémart family has been growing vines in Aÿ since 1625 and is therefore the oldest Champagne House still managed by the founding family. However, it was only since the current owner Claude Giraud took over in 1983 that he decided to take the family business to a new level. The ten-hectare vineyard covers 35 plots and the Champagnes are made with their grapes, but also from grapes bought mainly from family or friends. They apply sustainable viticultural methods and are certified with high environmental value (HVE). Henri Giraud abandoned the use of stainless steel tanks in 2016 and instead uses small oak barrels from the Argonne forest, which is located between Champagne and the Vosges.
Argonne Aÿ Grand Cru is made from Pinot Noir (90%) and Chardonnay (10%), from the 2013 harvest. After alcoholic fermentation, the wine is transferred to oak barrels from the Argonne forest for 1 year. After the second fermentation, the wine remains in contact on the lees for 7 years.
Grape varieties: 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay