Rouge
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted duck, seared salmon, creamy mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
In the heart of the historic Grand Cru village of Aÿ, Champagne Henri Giraud crafts a rare and exceptional still red wine that pays homage to the region's pre-sparkling heritage. Long before bubbles defined Champagne, the still red wines of Aÿ were the darlings of European royalty, famously favored by King Henri IV. Henri Giraud's Coteaux Champenois Rouge is a modern testament to this legacy. Sourced from low-yielding, sun-drenched Pinot Noir vines clinging to the steep, chalky slopes of Aÿ, the grapes undergo meticulous selection. True to the house's pioneering philosophy, this red wine is vinified and aged in oak casks sourced from the nearby Argonne Forest. This unique wood integration tempers the naturally high acidity of the cool-climate Pinot Noir, weaving a tapestry of rich red berry fruit, delicate forest floor notes, and a refined, mineral-driven structure that reflects the pure chalk soils of its origin.
🍾 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
Pinot Noir