Henri Giraud Champagne Brut Grand Cru Argonne 2014 750ml

The 2014 Argonne was much more open when I tasted it last year, which is probably a good sign for its long-term aging prospects. Tangerine oil, white flowers, spice, brioche and a kick of sweet oak all run through the 2014. More than anything else, I am struck by the wine’s linear intensity and drive. Argonne is 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay done in 100% new oak. Disgorged: December 14, 2022.

• Country: France
• Region: Champagne
• Size: 750ml

Varietal

Champagne Blend

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn’t unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as ‘blanc de blanc’, meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or ‘blanc de noir’, which is made solely with Pinot Noir.