Fût de Chêne (2013 base)

Note to self: drink more Giraud Champagne. That's all I could think as I ran through these new releases from Claude Giraud, a man whose temperament is very much reflected in impeccable Champagnes loaded with personality. Giraud is based in Ay, where Pinot reigns supreme. With the exception of the Hommage, all of the wines are vinified in oak, which gives them much of their breadth and pure textural volume. At the same time, the oak in these wines is impeccably balanced, something that hasn't always been the case. Giraud fans will want to note a few changes to the range. Beginning this year, the Fût de Chêne is a multi-vintage Champagne. Giraud is introducing his new tête de cuvée Argonne, the result of 25 years of studying the terroirs of the Argonne forest with the goal of selecting the best sites for the trees that are used for Giraud's barrels. I will report on that wine as soon as I have a chance to taste it. I am absolutely thrilled with the direction the Giraud wines have been going in over the last few years. These are some of the most exciting wines being made in Champagne today.

Claude Giraud makes some of the most unique, individualistic wines in Champagne. All of the wines bear the unmistakable stamp of the Grand Cru vineyards of Aÿ. The top selections (Code Noir and Fût de Chêne) are vinified and aged in oak, which plays an important role in shaping many of the finest wines here. At their best, the Giraud Champagnes offer incredible intensity, class and balance.

Over the last few months I have had the chance to revisit a number of Champagnes from the celebrated 1996 vintage. My first retrospective on the 1996s, published last year, found many of the wines in great shape. Today, only a year later, a number of bottles are finally beginning to show hints of their ultimate potential. Many of these wines have been on the market for some time but only now, fourteen years after the harvest, is it possible to taste a complete range of the tête-de-cuvées from all of the major houses.

This wine was tasted during collector Bruce Fingeret's birthday party, July 2010

I tasted a wide range of wines with Chef de Caves Sébastien Le Golvet during a recent visit to Henri Giraud. There is always something new, something changing at Giraud. This year is certainly no exception. I tasted the first release of a new Coteaux Champenois, the appellation for Champagne’s still red and whites, and a category that continues to grow. A mini-vertical of the Fût de Chêne provided a terrific opportunity to check in on the evolution of a few older vintages and culminated with the brilliant 2013, while the 2011 edition of Argonne, the house’s flagship, is impressive. Readers should note that the older Fût de Chêne and Argonne vintages, which the house lables 'Collection', are the same exact wines as the orginal releases, but cellared at the property. Le Golvet presented the entry-level wines in this range at the end, but all that did was show just how compelling those wines can be. The Hommage a François Hebrart remains a personal favorite and also a great way for readers to explore the Henri Giraud wines. As always, the top cuvées here exalt the natural richness of Aÿ Pinot Noir in a rich, hedonistic style that will appeal most to readers who enjoy lush, opulent Champagnes.

I tasted a wide range of wines with Chef de Caves Sébastien Le Golvet during a recent visit to Henri Giraud. There is always something new, something changing at Giraud. This year is certainly no exception. I tasted the first release of a new Coteaux Champenois, the appellation for Champagne’s still red and whites, and a category that continues to grow. A mini-vertical of the Fût de Chêne provided a terrific opportunity to check in on the evolution of a few older vintages and culminated with the brilliant 2013, while the 2011 edition of Argonne, the house’s flagship, is impressive. Readers should note that the older Fût de Chêne and Argonne vintages, which the house lables 'Collection', are the same exact wines as the orginal releases, but cellared at the property. Le Golvet presented the entry-level wines in this range at the end, but all that did was show just how compelling those wines can be. The Hommage a François Hebrart remains a personal favorite and also a great way for readers to explore the Henri Giraud wines. As always, the top cuvées here exalt the natural richness of Aÿ Pinot Noir in a rich, hedonistic style that will appeal most to readers who enjoy lush, opulent Champagnes.

I tasted a number of wines during my most recent visit to Henri Giraud. From year to year, Giraud is one of the houses that is always forging ahead with something new. Proprietor Claude Giraud seems to live in his own world, which gives the maison a somewhat detached feel within the context of the region. I also tasted a number of prior releases of the Fût de Chêne, which I have included here for reference. Some of the vintages are labeled “Collection,” a designation the maison uses for older wines that are being re-released directly from the winery. There is no difference in the wines, how they are aged or the dosage between the original releases or the Collection series. Giraud does include disgorgement dates on their bottles, but they are so finely etched into the glass as to be only decipherable by the most determined of consumers. In other words, the format is impractical to the point of offering very little real value. As for the wines, there is not much to say except they are terrific examples of the richer, more vinous style of Champagne. The value play in this range remains the Hommage A François Hemart.

I tasted a number of wines during my most recent visit to Henri Giraud. From year to year, Giraud is one of the houses that is always forging ahead with something new. Proprietor Claude Giraud seems to live in his own world, which gives the maison a somewhat detached feel within the context of the region. I also tasted a number of prior releases of the Fût de Chêne, which I have included here for reference. Some of the vintages are labeled “Collection,” a designation the maison uses for older wines that are being re-released directly from the winery. There is no difference in the wines, how they are aged or the dosage between the original releases or the Collection series. Giraud does include disgorgement dates on their bottles, but they are so finely etched into the glass as to be only decipherable by the most determined of consumers. In other words, the format is impractical to the point of offering very little real value. As for the wines, there is not much to say except they are terrific examples of the richer, more vinous style of Champagne. The value play in this range remains the Hommage A François Hemart.

Claude Giraud is not a person who stands still for too long. There is always something new at this small winery in the center of Aÿ. The most recent development is the introduction of terra cotta amphorae for the vinification of some of the wines. Needless to say, it will be fascinating to see how the wines develop stylistically over the coming years. As always, the Giraud Champagnes offer rich, sumptuous texture and considerable richness. Dosage levels are a bit lower than they have been, but these are still wines that lie on the bolder, more sumptuous side of Champagne. Readers should note that at press time, there were no new releases of Hommage, Blanc de Craie, Fut de Chêne Rosé and Code Noir.

Claude Giraud makes some of the most distinctive wines in Champagne. Low yields, vinification in barrel and the natural richness of Aÿ all give these wines much of their signature vinosity. If there is any quibble I have about the Giraud Champagnes is that the dosage sometimes tastes like it is on the high side given all the inherent intensity these wines have when they first go into bottle. Still, that is a minor point. Readers who like exuberant, creamy, Pinot Noir-based Champagnes will find much to admire.

Claude Giraud continues to make some of the most exciting wines in Champagne. The power and breadth of Aÿ are shaped by vinification in oak in Champagnes that are voluptuous and resonant to the core. Over the last few years Giraud has begun to pull back a touch on the textural richness that has informed his wines in the past, while giving a little more emphasis to energy and tension, and lowering dosage levels slightly, all developments that add balance and harmony to wines that are already quite ample and oxidative in style. Giraud's meticulous attention to detail is evident throughout the cellar. I can't think of too many producers in any region who have spent as much time as Giraud has on oak and in particular on understanding the nuances of the various forests that provide the oak for his barrels. Lastly, the Code Noir Rosé has been replaced in the range by the new MV Fut de Chêne Rosé, which, by the way, is fabulous in its inaugural release. When I want to drink generous Champagnes built on volume I frequently reach for the wines of Claude Giraud.

Note to self: drink more Giraud Champagne. That's all I could think as I ran through these new releases from Claude Giraud, a man whose temperament is very much reflected in impeccable Champagnes loaded with personality. Giraud is based in Ay, where Pinot reigns supreme. With the exception of the Hommage, all of the wines are vinified in oak, which gives them much of their breadth and pure textural volume. At the same time, the oak in these wines is impeccably balanced, something that hasn't always been the case. Giraud fans will want to note a few changes to the range. Beginning this year, the Fût de Chêne is a multi-vintage Champagne. Giraud is introducing his new tête de cuvée Argonne, the result of 25 years of studying the terroirs of the Argonne forest with the goal of selecting the best sites for the trees that are used for Giraud's barrels. I will report on that wine as soon as I have a chance to taste it. I am absolutely thrilled with the direction the Giraud wines have been going in over the last few years. These are some of the most exciting wines being made in Champagne today.