Cuvee Croix de Courcelles
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted chicken, grilled sea bass, creamy mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the historic Grand Cru village of Aÿ, the Cuvée Croix de Courcelles is a rare and exceptional Coteaux Champenois Blanc—a still white wine that pays homage to the region's pre-sparkling heritage when the still wines of Champagne graced the tables of royal courts. Sourced from the specific lieu-dit 'Croix de Courcelles,' this wine showcases Henri Giraud's signature craftsmanship. It is vinified and aged in oak casks sourced from the nearby Argonne Forest, a traditional method championed by the house to impart a rich, textured complexity. The terroir of Aÿ, famous for its chalky soils, lends a vibrant mineral backbone that beautifully balances the opulent, woody nuances developed during barrel aging.
🍾 About the Producer
Rooted in the historic Grand Cru village of Aÿ since 1625, Champagne Henri Giraud represents a benchmark in vinous, artisanal Champagne production. Stewarded by 12th-generation proprietor Claude Giraud alongside cellar master and son-in-law Sébastien Le Golvet, the house is renowned for championing Pinot Noir cultivated on deep, south-facing belemnite chalk slopes. Henri Giraud is celebrated for reviving the historical practice of fermenting and maturing base wines exclusively in new and seasoned casks coopered from local Argonne Forest oak, as well as sandstone and terracotta amphorae, entirely eliminating stainless steel. Viticulture adheres to rigorous sustainable standards, eschewing pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides under a certified zero-residue protocol. The estate produces richly textured, vinous champagnes defined by intense chalky minerality, structural depth, and micro-oxygenated nuance. Flagship cuvées include the prestigious vintage oak-aged Argonne, the perpetual reserve multi-vintage Fût de Chêne MV series, and the PR Perpetual Reserve bottlings.
🍇 Grapes
Chardonnay