![]() The Henriot family traces its roots as far back as 1640, when they left Lorraine (in what is now northeastern France) and settled in Champagne. After 1880, they expanded to also include Chardonnay. The Cuvée Hemera is composed of fifty percent Chardonnay, sourced from those Côte des Blanc parcels acquired via marriage in 1880, and fifty percent Pinot Noir, sourced from Apolline Henriot’s original 1808 parcels in the northern Montagne de Reims villages of Mailly Champagne, Verzy, and Verzenay. Until 1880, Henriot’s wines were composed exclusively of Pinot Noir. It’s got distribution of (grape) power.Henriot’s acquisition of the Chardonnay parcels involved the nineteenth-century exchange of wedding vows between Marie Marguet of the Côte des Blancs and Paul Henriot, great grandson to Apolline Henriot, who founded the family business some 70 years earlier Those parcels are the source of the Chardonnay wine that comprises half of the 2006 Cuvée Hemera the other half is comprised of Pinot Noir (see bullet point below). It’s got love (or at least what might have been love in 1880 between participants in a marriage of two local winemaking families), when the Henriot family acquired vineyard parcels in the Côte des Blancs villages of Chouilly, Avize, and Mesnil-sur-Oger.Champagne Henriot is a bona fide participant in that tradition: Apolline Henriot, young widow of Nicolas Henriot and owner of a vineyard in the heart of the Montagne de Reims, founded Maison Henriot in 1808. In my previous post about vintage Champagne, I mentioned the now-well-documented histories and legends of the widows of the Champagne region who advanced its wines’ commercial success internationally and preserved its distinctive regional culture. It's a great wine that is impressive and ready to drink, although it will also easily age further. It is rich in notes of almonds and toast that meld together with the ripe white fruits. This is simply outstanding!"ĩ5 Points Wine Enthusiast: "Only produced in the top years, this wine, named apparently after the Greek goddess of daylight, has just achieved maturity. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and rock solid at the core, with impeccable focus and grip, very refined mousse and outstanding length and grip on the poised, balanced and exquisite finish. The bouquet is deep, pure and stunning, offering up a very refined blend of pear, apple, a touch of hazelnut, gentle smokiness, a very complex base of soil tones, fresh-baked bread and just a whisper of caraway seed in the upper register. The 2005 Cuvée Hemera was aged twelve years sur latte prior to disgorgement and a finishing dosage of five grams per liter. The wine is a fifty-fifty blend of chardonnay and pinot noir, as is the case with their Brut Millésime, but here, only grand cru vineyards are used for the cuvée. This is the first vintage of the house’s top of the line bottling that has been crafted from beginning to end by Cellar Master Laurent Fresnet. Limited.ĩ6 Points: "The Cuvée Hemera is Henriot’s new name for their Tête de Cuvée bottling, which had previously been known as Cuvée Enchanteleurs. If you are looking for something decadently rich, yet still bright and light on the finish, look no further. This small-production Champagne is released very late, and justifies its price with the long ageing that has been lavished on it. It is composed of 50% Chardonnay from Avize, Chouilly, and Mesnil and 50% Pinot Noir, only from the northern grand crus of Mailly, Verzenay, and Verzy. This is the top cuvée from Henriot, and is sourced from just six grand cru villages. ![]()
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