On Friday, August 21, James tasted some new wines from Domaine Henri Giraud over Zoom. They produce extraordinary, limited edition hand-crafted Champagnes in Ay, a region located in the heart of Champagne that is home to numerous well-known Champagne houses. The wine is 100% oak fermented in tailor-made barrels, a practice not commonly used elsewhere in Champagne.

James tasted the artisanal Henri Giraud Champagne Argonne Brut 2012 and the Henri Giraud Champagne Aÿ Grand Cru MV15 Brut NV with Cellar Master Sebastien Legolvet and Sales Director Stephane Barlerin. The MV 2015 is a stunning wine that showed a wide range of fruit aromas and flavors and a “finish that goes on forever.” James rated it 99 points. The latter James described as “an edgy, lively Champagne with bread dough, dried apples and apricots,” and rated it 97 points.

See highlights of the tasting and hear them discuss the richness of the wines, the prospect of the 2020 vintage and more in this new video.