NV Henri Giraud Esprit de Giraud
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The NV Esprit comes across as a bit compact and also vegetal in this release, largely because of the base vintage (2011). The Esprit is usually a great introduction to the house style, but this edition does not really show the charm and sensuality that are such Giraud signatures. Disgorged October 15, 2014.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
John Gilman, View From The Cellar
More reviews and scores
The NV Brut Esprit is a gorgeous entry-level wine bursting with red fruit, pastry, sweet herbs and spices. There is nothing fancy here, rather this is a bold, immediate Champagne bursting with class and personality. The subtle, refined mousse lends an element of sophistication. This is an excellent introduction to the wines of Giraud. This is Lot O1M44E50. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014. Importer: Old World Wines Inc., Destin, FL; tel. (850) 267-3719
The NV Brut Esprit is a gorgeous entry-level wine bursting with red fruit, pastry, sweet herbs and spices. There is nothing fancy here, rather this is a bold, immediate Champagne bursting with class and personality. The subtle, refined mousse lends an element of sophistication. This is an excellent introduction to the wines of Giraud. This is Lot O1M44E50. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014. Oct 2011, www.robertparker.com
The current release of Henri Giraud “Esprit de Giraud” non-vintage Brut is from the base year of 2011, with five percent of the blend made up of reserve wines. The cépages is seventy percent pinot noir and thirty percent chardonnay. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and spends fully a year aging before being bottled. The bouquet is deep and complex, offering up a fine constellation of apple, fresh-baked bread, a fine base of soil, gentle smokiness and a topnote of caraway seed. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and nicely balanced, with good, but not great depth at the core (perhaps this is the 2011 vintage?), elegant mousse and lovely complexity on the impressively long and zesty finish. Good juice. Nov 2016, www.viewfromthecellar.com, Drink: 2016-2026+.
About the producer
Henri Giraud is one of the most exciting and pioneering Champagne houses today. Based in Äy, the property’s story begins in the early 17th century, when the Hémart family settled in the region.