Location and Terroir
Champagne Henri Giraud is located at 71 boulevard Charles de Gaulle in Aÿ-Champagne, France. The vineyards are in the Aÿ Grand Cru of Champagne, on a south-facing hillside at the edge of the Marne. The site lies at about 49° north latitude and records around 1,700 hours of sunshine per year. A thin layer of topsoil lies over powerful chalk formations; the terroir is also shaped by chalk, clay and iron oxides.
Family History and Vineyards
The history of the Giraud-Hémart family has been documented in Aÿ since the 17th century; records mention François Hémart in 1625. After the First World War, Léon Giraud reconstructed and replanted inherited parcels. During this period, the estate grew to almost three hectares. Today, the family estate cultivates 26 parcels planted with Pinot Noir and nine with Chardonnay on the hillside.
Cultivation
For the replanting, after the Second World War the estate set up its own nursery and carried out mass selection in the best locations. The programme to restructure the vineyards included soil analyses, reduced soil management and the abandonment of insecticides.
Aging and Wines
Selected wines are vinified and aged in small oak barrels from historic forests of Champagne, including the Argonne forest, and then developed further. The cellar uses Argonne oak as well as sandstone, egg-shaped vessels for the maceration of rosé, with no stainless-steel containers. The MV Fût de Chêne concept combines one third Réserve Perpétuelle with two thirds of wine from a single vintage, and it is aged in Argonne oak. Pinot Noir, among other things, is at the centre of the single-varietal Code Noir; in addition, there is the Chardonnay-based Blanc de Craie and the Pinot Noir-focused Hommage au Pinot Noir. The range also includes Coteaux Champenois Rouge, Coteaux Champenois Blanc and Ratafia products.
