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More wines available from Henri Giraud
Pre-Arrival
Henri Giraud Champagne Brut Blanc De Craie NV
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$69.95
Fragrant, featuring graphite and spice notes, this rich Champagne offers a fine and lacy mousse, with mouthwatering...
Pre-Arrival
Henri Giraud Champagne Brut Esprit Nature NV
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$44.95
A skein of exotic spice unravels through flavors of apple tarte Tatin, ginger pastry cream, graphite and smoke in...
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$534.95
Tart tartine, brioche, green apple, and hints of ripe fresh herbs. Menthol, too. It’s very direct and powerful with...
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Winery
Henri Giraud
Vintage: 2012
2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in.
The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
Varietal: Champagne Blend
The careful blending of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varietal grapes has long been the secret to the success of the famous sparkling wines of the Champagne region. The wines of this region have gone down in history as the finest example of France's sparkling produce, and the methods of processing the grapes in this region have been imitated in almost every wine producing country in the world. There are actually seven different grape varietals allowed to be included in a Champagne sparkling wine, although grape varietals such as Pinot Blanc, Arbanne and Pinot Gris are used less and less commonly in its production. Whilst the Chardonnay varietal grapes offer their distinctive biscuit flavor and wonderful astringency, it is the Pinot Noir grapes (most commonly used for producing beautifully light red wines) which give the Champagne wines their length and backbone.
Region: Champagne
The region of Champagne in the north-easterly part of France has, for hundreds of years, been known for the production of high quality, elegant and characterful sparkling white wines. Champagne wines continue to dominate the market for sparkling wines, and are the envy of many countries, with plenty of producers attempting to emulate their unique practices. The chalky, mineral-rich soils of this high altitude region are ideal for growing the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Petit Meunier varietal grapevines which cover the region and are usually blended together in the production of Champagne wine. The climate of Champagne is far cooler than other famous wine regions in France, but the wineries which are found all over the area have generations of expertise, and have no problems in producing vast quantities of their famous produce for the world market.
Country: France
Year in, year out, France enjoys its prestigious reputation as the producer of the finest wines in the world. With a wine making history which spans several thousand years and owes its expertise to the Romans, it comes as little surprise that this most highly esteemed of the Old World wine countries continues to impress and enchant both novices and experts to this day. Despite the rise in quality of wines from neighboring European countries, not to mention the New World, the French wine industry continues to boom, with up to eight billion bottles being produced in recent years. However, France prides itself on always putting quality before quantity, and the wide range in fine produce is a testament to the dedication and knowledge of the wineries across the country. Indeed, from rich and complex reds to light and aromatic white wines, French wines are as varied and interesting as they are enjoyable to drink, making this country a firm favorite for wine lovers across the globe.