Histoire du Champagne Henri Giraud

People deeply attached to the land, whose success was solely due to their relentless hard work. They never boasted about their improved status; their rise can simply be traced through increasingly larger homes and cellars in the heart of the village, where they lived and worked. As the wines of Aÿ gained their esteemed reputation, the Hémart family quietly and humbly became prominent figures in this strategic village of the Champagne story.
By the end of the 19th century, as phylloxera emerged almost simultaneously with the creation of the Champagne appellation, the family easily found employment and continued to carefully tend their vines, managing to save a few parcels. After World War I, the vineyards and Champagne forests were devastated. Vineyards were abandoned, except those nearest to the village of Aÿ, where some gardening was done for subsistence. With little work left and no hope of replanting, many could only sell their land for mere pennies.

The story accelerates with the return of his son Henri at the end of World War II. Henri Giraud, a young schoolteacher who had been mobilized after graduating from Saint Cyr as a lieutenant, returned home in 1945 as a hero after five years of combat, resistance, and deportation. Léon finally regained the family closeness and enthusiasm he had deeply missed. Father and son then embarked on a daring endeavor: producing champagne from their own harvest (in addition to their respective jobs) and launching their first champagne brand, GIRAUD-HÉMART, symbolizing the union and resilience of two families who successfully navigated the upheavals, wars, and crises of the modern era.
Breaking away from traditional rural practices, they laid the foundations of the Domaine's philosophy, deeply rooted in family heritage, a strong do-it-yourself mentality, independent thinking, and supported by rigorous scientific methods. In the somewhat chaotic post-war world undergoing rapid change—of which Champagne would become a symbol—they became enlightened and curious craftsmen. Léon and Henri sought excellence, starting with their grapes: after rigorous massal selection in their finest plots, they established their own nursery in the Domaine’s garden, requisitioned specifically for this purpose, then carefully planned replanting throughout the vineyard. In 1948, the manual "Daquin 1500 kg" press was installed in the small cellar. Ten years later, "the cellar" became one of the children's favorite hiding spots. Unfortunately, Léon passed away in January 1952, the year Claude Giraud was born. Their paths briefly crossed as Claude began writing the alphabet of his own life.

I was profoundly bored at school, and at the age of 20, I joined the family estate. Within ten years, I completely reorganized with my father the vineyard to maximize the potential of the magnificent terroir inherited from our ancestors. We expanded our holdings with two additional hectares purchased in the Aÿ terroir and five hectares in the Louvois Grand Cru terroir from my uncle, Robert Egrot.

Embracing innovation, my father facilitated the estate's development by establishing one of the first joint-stock companies in the Champagne region with my uncle: CHAMPAGNE HENRI GIRAUD. They hired my wife, Antoinette, to manage the accounting. 

Together, they entrusted me with managing the Champagne House Henri Giraud. Our ambitious plan encompassed three major initiatives: comprehensive vineyard restructuring, including soil analysis, lean cultivation, and ending insecticide use; rebuilding the barrel cellar; and enhancing our family's unique expertise by creating exceptional new cuvées. The goal was to combine cutting-edge techniques with traditional small oak barrel aging and to entirely rethink pressing and vinification processes.

During this period, two encounters profoundly reshaped my vision of champagne. François Bonal dedicated to me his book "CHAMPAGNE," a groundbreaking historical exploration of champagne based solely on authenticated archival documents—a veritable bible of champagne. My great-aunt, Anne-Marie Hémart, passionate about genealogy, entrusted me with her life's work: a detailed family tree she meticulously traced back generation by generation to 1625, at the very dawn of the Champagne saga.

In spring, I invested in a modern membrane press coupled with Champagne’s first temperature-controlled vat room (1,500 hl) and introduced cold settling directly from the press—another Champagne first. Simultaneously, the barrel cellar continued to expand. Leveraging the exceptional harvest in September, I crafted the first vintage of the Fût de Chêne AY Grand Cru cuvée (10,000 bottles were cellared on September 1, 1991), inspired by François Bonal's documentation of Aÿ's legendary wines that shaped champagne’s origins. This marked a new chapter in defining Henri Giraud's distinctive style. Alongside various family Réserves Perpétuelles, the earliest dating from the 1950s, I created a new Réserve Perpétuelle exclusively nurtured from wines aged in small Argonne oak barrels. In December, responding to growing demand, Henri Giraud became a Champagne négociant and joined the Union des Maisons de Champagne.

The family entrusted me with the presidency of Champagne Henri Giraud, further affirming our philosophy and reconnecting with the great innovators of the 19th century: "Like all great wines, champagne is inseparable from a great Terroir, a great grape variety, and a great Forest." These three pillars of agricultural luxury profoundly influenced thought and practices throughout the Champagne region.

As the 40-year-old strategy of democratizing champagne began showing its first signs of fatigue, Maison Henri Giraud took a bold stance, launching the 1990 vintage of the Cuvée Fût de Chêne into the high-end international market.

Simply stapled and engraved, this flagship cuvée rested upon three pillars: Aÿ Grand Cru – Pinot Noir – Aging in small oak barrels. Its success was immediate. Simultaneously, the first cuvées aged in Argonne oak barrels emerged, offering exceptional emotional experiences.

Identified by François Bonal as Champagne's historical forest and recognizing that historically, 90% of champagne barrels were made from Argonne oak, I became deeply interested in this forest early on. For several years, during each harvest, I systematically compared its wood to that of other renowned French forests known for aging great white wines. The results were clear: the Argonne forest, with its extremely poor soil, consistently surpassed all others for aging Champagne wines. Initially, I enjoyed experimenting in 1990 with stainless steel tanks controlled by temperature. However, after a few years, it became evident that oak barrel aging produced superior results. Consequently, I directed all investments towards the Argonne forest to refine the winemaking processes while ensuring complete traceability of the oak used for staves. Concurrently, extensive research was conducted in the Maison’s workshops to study the influence of the Argonne forest terroirs on the vinification and maturation of various plots within Aÿ Grand Cru.

Sébastien Le Golvet, husband of Anne (our second daughter), managed his first harvest pressing during the extraordinary 2002 vintage. Our mastery of Argonne’s terroirs inspired us to cellar our first cuvée, blending distinguished plots from Aÿ Grand Cru, aged in Argonne oak, thus marking a new chapter in our vinification excellence.

As Champagne’s Cru classification faced challenges, the vintage Fût de Chêne cuvée was replaced by two new Aÿ Grand Cru cuvées: the vintage ARGONNE and the Multi-Vintage (MV) Fût de Chêne. This innovative MV concept—crafted from one-third Réserve Perpétuelle and two-thirds fresh grapes from a single harvest—became the Maison’s flagship cuvée.

Robert Parker further praised Champagne Henri Giraud: "Claude Giraud produces some of the most original and exceptional Champagnes. Each wine unmistakably bears the signature of the Aÿ Grand Crus. The top cuvées (Code Noir and Fût de Chêne) undergo fermentation and aging in oak barrels, processes integral to their distinctive character."

Guided by our philosophy emphasizing the Champagne terroir, we collaborated with pioneering producers to establish the Association of Champagne Spirit Producers. As president, I led efforts culminating in the recognition of "Ratafia Champenois" as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). This distinctive product has become emblematic of our Maison, featured prominently in renowned international establishments.

Drawing lessons from our experiences and after rigorous assessment, Sébastien removed the stainless-steel vats installed 25 years earlier, committing exclusively to vinification in Argonne oak barrels and several sandstone egg-shaped vessels dedicated to rosé maceration.

We aimed to create a place where guests could escape daily life for a few hours. Located adjacent to the Champagne house in the heart of Aÿ, this historic manor offers a timeless retreat with several guest rooms. Visitors can enjoy a unique well-being experience, fully immersing themselves in our family's terroir: tasting the chalk, clay, and iron oxides of our vineyards, tracing these elements through the base wines, and pairing them during a tailored food and wine experience with the chef. The cellar hosts two exceptional treatment rooms where guests can indulge in Craÿotherapy ®—chalk baths and body wraps with restorative, soothing, and softening properties.

Anne explains: "Its low alcohol content isn't the sole reason. Historically, even before Champagne became sparkling, it was favored by the world's elite despite its harsher climate compared to its rivals. This preference may stem from the therapeutic qualities inherent to its terroir." The Pinot Noir grapes of Aÿ, deeply rooted in chalky soils, absorb a gentle, calming strength, imparting a sense of well-being and tranquility.

Emmanuelle is elected president of Champagne Henri Giraud, with the ambition to place well-being at the heart of our work and cuvées. After two additional years of study, Anne becomes a thermal medicine doctor and files a patent aimed at optimizing chalk-based treatments and baths, unchanged since Roman times. Sébastien takes on the role of Managing Director of the Maison alongside his responsibilities as Cellar Master. He files a patent that revolutionizes oak-barrel vinification by replacing the barrel heads (30% of the surface area), previously made of untoasted oak, with stoneware heads, completely eliminating harsh tannins. To manage the influx of fans visiting the estate, some of whom book a year in advance, capacity for hospitality, initiation, and experiential dining has tripled with the renovation of “La Chapelle” and its viewing platform, offering, from 15 meters high, an unparalleled view over the historic vineyards of Champagne.

The new generation is now fully operational and brimming with ideas to enrich the heritage. The year 2025 marks the celebration of 400 years of our family’s history, but also the opportunity to begin a new chapter closely aligned with our fans’ aspirations.

Building upon the feeling of serenity and well-being inspired by “Shinrin-Yoku” or forest bathing (highly popular in Japan), Champagne Henri Giraud invites guests to immerse themselves in the Argonne forest, echoing the ethos of the trust-building space established seven years ago with the “Zero pesticide residue” back-label, allowing our fans to rediscover the simple pleasure of tasting a great wine.

During the June festivities, we will introduce the first chalk-based skincare mask patented by Henri Giraud, immediately followed by the launch of our major project: the Thermal Baths of Aÿ, reconnecting with the region’s history of providing thermal treatments to the Roman elite.