Henriot

Henriot was founded in 1808 in Reims by Apolline Henriot, widow of Nicolas Simon Henriot, who had helped run her husband's cloth-and-wine trading business before establishing her own Maison de Champagne. The family ran the house across roughly eight generations, though that stewardship was not unbroken: the brand passed into LVMH's orbit, where Joseph Henriot ran Veuve Clicquot after exchanging Henriot's estate for Veuve Clicquot stock and an LVMH board role, before the family bought the brand back from LVMH in 1994 minus the traded-away vineyards. Joseph Henriot, the seventh-generation family member, led the house from the 1960s until his death in 2015; his nephew Gilles de Larouzière, the eighth-generation incumbent, then ran the wider Maisons et Domaines Henriot group. Joseph Henriot also expanded the group into Burgundy with Bouchard Père et Fils and into Chablis with William Fèvre during the 1990s.

• Founded 1808 by Apolline Henriot, widow of Nicolas Simon Henriot, in Reims
• Family ran the house across roughly eight generations, not a continuous stretch
• Brand passed into LVMH's orbit, then bought back from LVMH in 1994 minus vineyards
• Joseph Henriot expanded into Burgundy (Bouchard Père et Fils) and Chablis (William Fèvre) in the 1990s

Henriot's house identity rests on Chardonnay-led blending, distinguishing the Maison from the Pinot-dominant houses of the Reims commercial tier. The Côte des Blancs connection dates from Paul Henriot's 1880 marriage to Marie Marguet of the Côte des Blancs, and Grand Cru Chardonnay from Avize, Chouilly, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger provides the chalk-driven backbone. Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims villages of Verzy, Verzenay, and Mailly-Champagne adds structural depth, and Apolline's original vineyards lay in those same three Montagne de Reims villages. The result is a house style that reads as fresher and more vertical than Pinot-dominant competitors at the same price point.

• Côte des Blancs Grand Cru Chardonnay from Avize, Chouilly, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
• Pinot Noir from Verzy, Verzenay, and Mailly-Champagne provides structural depth
• Côte des Blancs link dates from Paul Henriot's 1880 marriage to Marie Marguet
• House style reads fresher and more vertical than Pinot-dominant peers

Cuvée des Enchanteleurs was Henriot's original prestige cuvée, relaunched as Cuvée Hemera from the 2005 vintage (publicly released around 2020), with Hemera named for the Greek goddess of day and light. The Enchanteleurs name has since returned with the 2015 vintage, so both names are in current play and the recent flagship release carries the revived Enchanteleurs label. The prestige cuvée is a vintage-dated blend of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir, drawn 100% from the six founding Grand Crus, with around 10 to 12 years on lees before release. Henriot's Côte des Blancs sourcing gives the wine a distinctly chalk-led character at the prestige tier.

• Cuvée des Enchanteleurs was the original name, relaunched as Hemera from the 2005 vintage
• Hemera is named for the Greek goddess of day and light
• Enchanteleurs name revived with the 2015 vintage; both names are now in play
• Vintage cuvée of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir, around 10 to 12 years on lees

In autumn 2022, Artémis Domaines (Pinault family) acquired the wider Maisons et Domaines Henriot group, which bundled Champagne Henriot together with Bouchard Père et Fils in Burgundy, William Fèvre in Chablis, and Beaux Frères in Oregon. In October 2023, Artémis sold only the Champagne Henriot house, its vineyards, brand, stock, and commercial operations, to Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne (TEVC), the cooperative group behind Nicolas Feuillatte. Artémis retained Bouchard Père et Fils, William Fèvre, and Beaux Frères, which remain separate businesses from Champagne Henriot. TEVC owns Champagne Henriot today, and chef de cave Alice Tétienne, recruited in 2020 from Krug, took on the added role of Deputy Managing Director in autumn 2023.

• Artémis Domaines acquired the Maisons et Domaines Henriot group in autumn 2022
• Artémis sold only Champagne Henriot to TEVC in October 2023
• Bouchard Père et Fils, William Fèvre, and Beaux Frères were retained by Artémis
• Chef de cave Alice Tétienne, recruited from Krug in 2020, became Deputy Managing Director in 2023

Henriot Brut Souverain NV is the Maison's volume face, the first cuvée Apolline Henriot created in 1808 and a Chardonnay-led blend that also draws on Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with a substantial proportion of reserve wines at a restrained dosage. Henriot Blanc de Blancs is a long-standing 100% Chardonnay signature drawing on Côte des Blancs fruit, and a Brut Rosé sits in the current range. The vintage-dated Millésimé occupies the upper consumer tier, while Cuvée Hemera and the revived Cuvée des Enchanteleurs anchor the prestige tier as 100% Grand Cru blends from the six founding villages. Across the range the through-line is Henriot's chalk-driven, Chardonnay-led character.