Champagne Henriot

CHAMPAGNE HENRIOT IS ONE OF FRANCE’S OLDEST FAMILY-OWNED CHAMPAGNE HOUSES AND HAS BEEN INDEPENDENTLY RUN BY THE SAME FAMILY, WITHOUT INTERRUPTION, FOR MORE THAN TWO CENTURIES.

THE CHAMPAGNE HENRIOT STORY began back in the 18th Century when Nicolas Henriot married Apolline Godinot, and together, they developed a fascination for the culture of the vine and production of high quality wines.

After the death of her husband, Apolline decided to continue to develop the vineyards, and at the age of just 33, in 1808, she founded the Henriot Champagne House.

The quality of the Henriot wines was soon highly regarded worldwide and with Apolline’s grandson at the helm, Ernest Henriot, Henriot was declared the official Champagne of the Imperial and Royal Court of Austria.

Since the Henriot family married into the Marguet family - owners of some of the best vineyards in the Côte des Blancs - shortly after their Champagne House was founded, they have continued a love-affair with Chardonnay. In the eyes of Henriot, the purity of Chardonnay reigns supreme and the house uses a high proportion of it in all their Champagnes, over 50 – 60 per cent in most wines.

Champagne Henriot’s high quality Chardonnay brings finesse, exceptional elegance, richness and freshness. Touches of Pinot Noir then gives essential structure and Pinot Meunier contributes engaging fruit complexity, which is all down to the exceptional terrains harvested by the house.

The vineyards that the house uses are situated throughout the appellation: the house is fortunate to have access to many Grands and Premiers Crus, particularly in the Côte des Blancs, stronghold of the Chardonnay variety. Pinot Noir is selected principally from crus on the northern slope of the Montagne de Reims, such as Verzy, Verzenay and Val d’Or.

The Henriot family has become one of the rare houses to develop long-term partnerships with the most experienced vine growing families in the region. This community of families have been working together now for many generations, developing an unrivalled knowledge and understanding of the terroir, making it possible to perpetuate the Henriot style and maintain Henriot excellence for over 200 years. ❧

LEFT: Henriot, passionate about Chardonnay

RIGHT: The large selection of grapes for Henriot to choose from