Champagne Henri Giraud

The Giraud-Hémart family has farmed in Aÿ, one of Champagne's seventeen Grand Cru villages, since 1625, when their ancestor François Hémart appears in the Aÿ parish records. For around three centuries the family grew grapes and sold the fruit rather than bottling under its own name. Only after the Second World War did the family begin making its own wine, under the Giraud-Hémart label, and the modern Champagne Henri Giraud house took shape from 1975 under Claude Giraud. Claude's pivotal contribution was the launch and refinement of Fût de Chêne, a Pinot-Noir-dominated Aÿ Grand Cru cuvée aged in casks made from Argonne forest oak, the same wood that 19th-century Champagne houses had used before the Argonne forest was largely abandoned. The cuvée recast Henri Giraud as a serious Aÿ specialist with a distinctive identity.

• The Giraud-Hémart family has farmed in Aÿ since 1625, tracing to ancestor François Hémart in the parish records
• Aÿ is one of the 17 Champagne Grand Cru villages, historically associated with Pinot Noir
• Claude Giraud built the modern house's reputation around the Fût de Chêne flagship from 1990
• The Argonne oak program revived a 19th-century Champagne forestry tradition

Claude Giraud, the twelfth generation of the family, built the modern reputation of the house and personally championed the Argonne oak program. His daughter Emmanuelle Giraud, the thirteenth generation, is now President of the house and runs it, while Claude, no longer officially part of the business, remains present and advises on key decisions. The institutional record lists Emmanuelle as Chairman of the board, confirming that she leads the house rather than merely managing daily operations. The arrangement keeps Henri Giraud among the few Aÿ houses still owned by its founding family, transitioning to a new generation while keeping ownership and creative control entirely within the Giraud-Hémart family.

• Claude Giraud, the twelfth generation, led the modern house and built international recognition
• Emmanuelle Giraud, Claude's daughter and the thirteenth generation, is now President and runs the house
• Claude is no longer officially part of the business but advises on key decisions
• Family ownership and creative control remain entirely with the Giraud-Hémart family

Henri Giraud's vineyards are concentrated in Aÿ, where the family farms Pinot Noir as the cornerstone of its house style. Aÿ's south-facing chalk slopes and Pinot-Noir-dominant traditional plantings give the cuvées their characteristic body, ripe fruit, and aromatic complexity. The estate also draws on Chardonnay for blending and for specific cuvées such as the 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Craie. Beyond the vineyard work, the Henri Giraud project has a second focus in the Argonne forest, the historical source of Champagne barrel wood, where historically around 90% of Champagne barrels were made. Working with the French National Forest Office (ONF), the house has planted over 60,000 trees to restore the forest, which was abandoned in part because of damage during the World Wars. The Argonne oak harvested for Henri Giraud's casks is intended to age slowly and develop the specific oxidation and flavor profile that characterized 19th-century Champagne.

• Vineyards concentrated in Aÿ, classified Grand Cru, with Pinot Noir as the foundation
• Chardonnay used for blending and for specific cuvées, including the 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Craie
• 60,000+ trees planted in partnership with French National Forest Office (ONF) to restore Argonne
• Argonne oak casks are central to the Fût de Chêne style; the wood ages slowly and shapes oxidative character

Henri Giraud's stylistic identity is wrapped around the Fût de Chêne approach: Pinot Noir from Aÿ Grand Cru, aged for a portion of its life in Argonne oak casks rather than steel or stainless tank. The result is a Champagne that emphasizes aromatic complexity, oxidative texture, and a richness that comes from both the Aÿ Pinot itself and the long contact with carefully-sourced wood. Fût de Chêne, whose first vintage was 1990, now appears as two sibling cuvées descended from the original: the prestige vintage Argonne Millésime (for example Argonne 2014) and the multi-vintage Fût de Chêne MV. The most recent multi-vintage release, MV19, blends around two-thirds 2019 with perpetual reserve back to 1990 and was launched by its UK importer in July 2024. Other cuvées including Dame-Jane Rosé and Esprit Nature extend the house philosophy across different style points, but Fût de Chêne remains the singular expression of what Henri Giraud aims for: an Aÿ Pinot Champagne that draws on traditional Argonne oak rather than the modern steel-tank standard.

• Fût de Chêne: Pinot Noir from Aÿ Grand Cru aged in Argonne oak casks rather than steel tank; first vintage 1990
• Now two sibling cuvées: the vintage Argonne Millésime and the multi-vintage Fût de Chêne MV
• Most recent multi-vintage release: Fût de Chêne MV19 (around two-thirds 2019 plus reserve back to 1990), launched July 2024
• Other cuvées: Dame-Jane Rosé, Esprit Nature, plus the broader Henri Giraud range

Henri Giraud occupies a particular niche in modern Champagne: a small, family-owned Aÿ Grand Cru house that has rebuilt the industry's relationship with Argonne forest oak, the historic Champagne barrel wood. The Fût de Chêne project demonstrates that prestige Champagne can be reconceived around a specific terroir-and-wood pairing rather than the steel-and-blending model dominant since the mid-20th century. The transition from Claude Giraud's leadership to his daughter Emmanuelle, the thirteenth generation and current President, keeps the house under continued family stewardship. Beyond its own bottles, Henri Giraud's work on Argonne reforestation contributes to a broader cultural revival of Champagne forestry that is benefiting other houses now experimenting with native French oak.

• Aÿ Grand Cru house still owned by its founding Giraud-Hémart family, which has farmed Aÿ since 1625
• Fût de Chêne project rebuilt the Champagne industry's relationship with Argonne oak
• Argonne reforestation contributes to broader Champagne forestry revival
• Transition from Claude to Emmanuelle, the thirteenth-generation President, keeps creative control within the family