Winemaker Notes
Clear, gold and sparkling in appearance. Tiny, delicate bubbles. Citrus fruit and yellow fruit aromas dominate on the palate, together with vine peach and nectarine, and a discrete floral, blossom dimension. Subtle notes of honey and candied lemon bring a full-flavored edge, together with silky character. Freshness and airy lightness command on the palate. Grapefruit, apricot, citron, and fresh citrus fruit come to life, followed by lingering notes of pate de fruit, yet constantly underscored by great minerality. Very long, refined, silky, and refreshing on the finish. Low dosage brings with it exquisitely harmonious balance.
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesA fragrant nose with aromas of apples, pears, brioche and candied citrus. Round, silky and balanced with fine bubbles and a flavorful, minerally finish. Full-bodied with a creamy texture and wonderfully soft fruit. Highlights the balance of the 2012 vintage. A blend of 54% chardonnay and 46% pinot noir.
A firm and focused Champagne, with a subtle overtone of minerally smoke and brine. Lacy in texture and finely knit, this offers layers of yellow apple and pear fruit, marzipan, lemon preserves and aromatic accents of toast and white flowers. Creamy and mouthwatering on the lingering finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Drink now
With the 2012 Brut Millesime, Henriot's positive evolution begins to become apparent. A blend of 54% Chardonnay and 46% Pinot Noir, disgorged with less than six grams per liter dosage, it offers up aromas of citrus zest, white flowers, freshly baked bread and green apple, followed by a medium-bodied, brisk and precise palate. Built around a bright spine of acidity and enlivened by a pillowy mousse, it will take on additional depth and dimension with a few years on cork. Best After 2022. Rating: 92+
This wine’s blend accentuates its red fruit component, with 40 percent pinot meunier and 15 percent pinot noir. That shows in brisk strawberry flavors with a touch of sweetness, the fruit clean against the wine’s yeasty maturity and mineral notes.
Founded in Reims in 1808, Champagne Henriot is one of the few remaining family-owned houses with over two hundred years of independence. Over the years, the house has cultivated an audacious approach and a distinctive, luminous style of its own, guided by the pursuit of the purest expression of Chardonnay.
The Henriot family’s strong relationship with Cellar Master Laurent Fresnet and partner growers is essential in creating each Henriot cuvée and maintaining its uncompromising quality standards. With the use of an exceptionally high proportion of reserve wines, as well as predominantly Premier and Grand Cru vineyards, Champagne Henriot produces a distinguishable freshness and quality in each cuvée.
Today, the Henriot family’s expertise is backed not only by their storied history in Champagne but also in their celebrated triumphs in both Burgundy and Chablis with Bouchard Père & Fils, William Fèvre and Chateau de Poncié.
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.’
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.