It was with the release of the 2017 vintage of their tête de cuvée, Aÿ Grand Cru Argonne, that Champagne Henri Giraud celebrated its 400th anniversary of having owned and tended vines in Aÿ.
Henri Giraud started bottling wines under his own name after World War II. Before that, the family had sold the fruit. He was succeeded by Claude Giraud, who distributed the wines far more widely and landed a coup when he released his oak-aged Fût de Chêne Cuvée, which was at the time counter-cultural to the prevalence of stainless steel. Today, the house is led by Claude’s daughter Emmanuelle and her sister Anne’s husband Sébastien Le Golvet, who has been cellar master at Henri Giraud since 2002. Le Golvet was in London for this lunchtime celebration at the Fitzrovia restaurant Carousel, to present this new release alongside mature magnums of the wine from 2004, 2011, and 2016.
A marriage of oak and wine
Aÿ Grand Cru Argonne is always made from Aÿ-grown fruit only, usually in slight variations of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. It is always fermented in 100% new 228-liter barrels—from the forest of Argonne, the historic source of oak for the Champagne region. “The forest of Argonne is terroir-specific,” Le Golvet said, “the soils are poor, so the wood is very tight.” Le Golvet decides which trees are to be felled and how long the split staves are aged, always between three and six years, before they are made into barrels at three different cooperages, another process that Le Golvet oversees. Two parcels within the forest are particularly favored by Le Golvet: Châtrices, which underlines “tension,” and La Chalade, which lends “more roundness.” The harvest point of the Aÿ fruit is decided by the taste of the grapes rather than analytic values, and rather than separating into just three press fractions, Le Golvet divides the juice into five or six, which are then fermented and aged in different barrels, “according to their own terroir in the forest.” Depending on the vintage character, the wines are allowed to stay on lees, in barrel, for extended periods. The newly released 2017 vintage, for instance, was not bottled until January 2019. All the wines stay on lees for at least six years and come with a dosage of 5g/l, with the exception of the 2004, which has 6g/l.
Fragility
Tasting the wines, the oak influence is there, but it certainly does not come across as bold or dominant. On the contrary, it is smoothly integrated and lends creaminess rather than overt vanilla notes. In fact, Le Golvet referred to the Argonne cuvée as “fragile.” This idea explains the gold leaf on each bottle of Aÿ Grand Cru Argonne, attached by hand. With its easily scratched delicacy, the gold leaf represents the tenderness and fragility of the wines. This is oak expertly handled and beautifully integrated, always in step with the body and the character of the wine. The contrast between the 2016 and 2017 vintages underlines this perfectly. Bravo, Sébastien!
Related
Aÿ Grand Cru Argonne used to be made in special years only, but since 2011, Argonne has been made every year, even challenging ones, but in highly variable quantities.
Tasting
2017 Argonnne Aÿ Grand Cru
The nose has lovely Red Delicious apple notes, with the subtle pepper that appears on rye sourdough, creamy and fruity. More air underlines that sourdough vibe and its pepperiness but also brings a touch of vanilla. A leitmotif of juiciness and spice pervades the wine, with an ever-deeper sense of Red Delicious apple, alongside a sense of pith, muscle, and texture that are in line with the volume, the power, the sheer presence of the wine. | 93
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2016 Argonnne Aÿ Grand Cru
Exquisite fruitiness is expressed in ripe Mirabelle on the nose, almost with a touch of mulberry and again a sense of red apple. Later on, there is a touch of melted butter. The palate is beautifully creamy, evoking that beautiful sense of red apple flesh, with just a touch of apple skin, real zestiness, and a lovely echo of sourdough. All comes together with real precision, freshness, poise, and yes, real juiciness and animation, with lovely verve and joy as well. This dances and pirouettes on the tongue and is simply lovely: agile, and seductive. | 95
2011 Argonnne Aÿ Grand Cru
Initial creaminess wraps itself around smooth peach and apricot notions, leaving a smooth nose. More air reveals wet clay and creamy, lemony pancake. In the glass, the wine is notably more viscous. The palate comes almost with a sense of cured meat, a backdrop that is visceral, reminiscent of flesh rather than fruit, lending depth to the wine, pervaded and accentuated by juicy, vivid, lemon brightness and fine bubbles. The long finish holds just an edge of mouthwatering, pithy bitterness. This has aged less well than the 2004, so should be drunk relatively soon. | 91
2004 Argonnne Aÿ Grand Cru
An almost peachy gold hue shows the age of the wine, 21 years, in comparison to its younger siblings. A slight sense of fresh white field mushroom precedes expressive notes of freshly cut, juicy, ripe red-apple flesh that verges into even juicier peach. More air adds a sense of white nougat with toasted almonds, followed by shortbread. The palate is beautifully bright, alive with freshness but edged with notions of evolution: a sense of the slight bitterness of fir honey and a touch of apple pip. The mousse is gentle, fine, and consistent, and helps to radiate and disperse wonderful freshness that sits so well with the really long umami finish, with just a vestige of pepper. This stands tall for a wine of such age: remarkable. | 94
