Champagne Henriot Millésime 2012  

Champagne Henriot Millésime 2012  
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Champagne Henriot Releases 2012 Vintage

Henriot is a Champagne house for insiders – it does fly under the radar but produces exquisite Champagnes.

Henriot is a Champagne house that flies a little under the radar – undeservedly – because its wines are pristine, expressive and elegant.

Apolline Henriot - an inspired founder

Founded in 1808 by Apolline Henriot when she bought vineyards in the Montagne de Reims, namely in the famed Pinot Noir villages of Mailly, Verzy and Verzenay, the house is still family-owned today. A marriage in 1880 then added vineyards in Chouilly, Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger – all famed Chardonnay villages in the Côte des Blancs – to the family holdings.

The 2012 vintage is representative of that: it is a blend of 54% Chardonnay and 46% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs.

The Henriot style

Gilles de Larouzière-Henriot, president and CEO of Maisons & Domaines Henriot, says that from then on, the family “progressively built what is today the Henriot style. That is to say, a great expression of the finest terroirs of Champagne and the search of the balance between Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. What the family has always tried to express is first, generosity, because Champagne is meant to be shared and enjoyed. The second thing is authenticity.” While this is easy to say, the wines actually bear this out, with every cuvée a distinct expression of its style.

No wonder then that Henriot is the Champagne served at top London addresses like Claridge’s, Annabel’s, Caprice Holdings, the Berkeley, Sketch and Noizé.

Dynamics and contrast

Alice Tétienne, the cellar master, evoked the spirit of Apolline Henriot when she explained the character of the challenging 2012 vintage: “A vintage that is the reconciliation of a difficult climate made by extremes but that finally delivered something dynamic with contrasts and harmony.”

READ THE TASTING NOTE HERE

Anne Krebiehl MW
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