Champagne Henri Giraud Grand Cru Ay Fut de Chene MV16 with Wooden Gift Box
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
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James Suckling
Lots of ripe apples, peaches, brioche, yeast, white pepper and bread dough. Mustard flowers, too. Full-bodied, yet so energetic and intense. So much going on. Subtle and intense. Light nuts and spices. Fine and angular with so much tension. Tight at the end. Mineral and iodine, too. Weightless on the palate. Better in a year or two, but already really excellent. 80% pinot noir and 20% chardonnay. One for the cellar.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The NV Brut Grand Cru Aÿ Fût de Chêne MV16 is showing beautifully, offering up a complex bouquet of pear, orange oil, buttered toast, toasted almonds, smoke and honeycomb. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and vinous, with a deep core of fruit, bright girdling acids and a classy pinpoint mousse, it's long and penetrating, with a seamless, elegant profile.
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Decanter
Claude Giraud now defers to his son-in-law Sébastien Le Golvet when it comes to winemaking, and maybe the grip of almost-austere Argonne oak has eased a little over the years. Nonetheless, this is a definitive statement of oak-fermented Pinot Noir-dominated Champagne from the southern edge of the Montagne de Reims, specifically the village of Aÿ. Giraud have been here since 1589, so probably know the place quite well. Two-thirds of the fruit is from the generous 2016 vintage and one third from a mature Réserve Perpétuelle, and thus well named, the wine is resinous, sappy, with notes of crystalised lemon and lanolin, wood spice and yellow fruit; then a wonderfully complex palate which initially appears angular and even foursquare, yet with time and a little contemplation opens up seamlessly, with both fruit and wood influences finding harmonious resolution.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’