Champagne Henri Giraud Tasting With Special Guests Owner Anne Giraud and Chef de Cave Sébastien Legolvet Tuesday, July 28th 7:30pm
"You have only so many bottles in your life, never drink a bad one."
Len Evans
Toni and I drink champagne every night so it’s not a challenge to host two to three events a month featuring Champagne and scientists have just proven that Champagne is good for your cognitive functions- IE your brain. Check out the scientists’ evidence at the end of this e-mail and get your Champagne here!!
We have a special night planned on Tuesday, July 28th with one of the small family-owned Champagne houses and we have discovered. We have both the owner and the chef de Cave here from Champagne Henri Giraud to introduce these amazing bubbles to our “Champagne Drinking People”.
Discover one of the oldest Champagne houses still owned by its founding family – the Giraud-Hémart family who have farmed vines in Aÿ since 1625. However, it is only since current head Claude Giraud took over that the wines have been released under the family name.
The annual production is around 250,000 bottles and the grapes are sourced from 10 hectares (25 acres) of estate vineyards, spread over 35 plots, plus fruit bought for the most part from family and friends.
The rich, voluptuous Fût de Chêne is a Pinot Noir-dominant blend. Aside from the Blanc de Blancs and the Code Noir Blanc de Noirs, the white wines are typically 70-percent Pinot Noir with 30-percent Chardonnay. The of oak is a feature of all cuvées except the standard Esprit de Giraud. The Blanc de Blancs features just a small proportion of oak-aged Chardonnay, while the base wine for the Hommage sees six months in oak barrels.
The Pinot Noir for the Code Noir is fermented and aged in Argonne oak, as is the Fût de Chêne vintage wine. The house's promotion of wood from this forest led to the introduction of the specific, Argonne cuvées, which have supplanted Fût de Chêne at the top of the range.
Join us as we taste through the entire line of Champagnes from this amazing boutique Champagne house. The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $350 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.
Champagne Henri Giraud Tasting
With Special Guests Owner Anne Giraud and Chef de Cave Sébastien Legolvet
Tuesday, July 28th
7:30pm
NV Henri Giraud Esprit Brut Nature Champagne
NV Champagne Henri Giraud Blanc De Craie Blanc de Blancs
NV Champagne Henri Giraud Hommage Au Pinot Noir Blanc De Noirs Brut
MV20 Champagne Henri Giraud Fut De Chene Grand Cru Ay
Champagne Henri Giraud PR 21/90
2015 Champagne Henri Giraud Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut Champagne
Henri Giraud Solera Ratafia de Champagne 500ml
Menu
Truffle Parmesan Shoestring Fries
Smoked Salmon served on Potato Cakes with Italian Sturgeon Caviar
Orange Honey BBQ Crispy Pork Belly Served over Goat Cheese Grits
Bang Bang Chicken
Strawberry Shortcake
The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $350 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any dietary restrictions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.
All the Henri Giraud Champagne in the store on SALE!
NV Henri Giraud Esprit Brut Nature Champagne Magnum
Price: $195.00 Your Price: $175.50
NV Henri Giraud Esprit Brut Nature Champagne
Price: $75.00 Your Price: $67.50
This house has been around since the 1700's and is still family owned, there is no disgorgment date anywhere on the bottle so no way to tell just how old this wine is. Rich aromas of toasted almond, fresh biscuit, apple and quince like fruit and pretty floral and light ginger spice. Smooth and creamy mouse on the tongue with a nice sweet tart like fruit green apple jolly rancher candy and a nice toasted nutty nuance on the finish. Finish 45+ Excellent
NV Champagne Henri Giraud Blanc De Craie Blanc de Blancs
Price: $127.50 Your Price: $114.75
The Blanc de Craie is composed 100% Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims. This makes it an unusual style of Blanc de Blancs. A winey Blanc de Blancs with typical Henri Giraud style and signature
NV Champagne Henri Giraud Hommage Au Pinot Noir Blanc De Noirs Brut
Price: $150.00 Your Price: $135.00 Quantity in Stock: 2
Henri Giraud Hommage au Pinot Noir Champagne pays homage to Pinot Noir as grandfather of Syrah and father of Chardonnay which, in the eyes of Henri Giraud Champagne House, deserves respect, humility and time. This wine draws back to its origins and pays tribute to the grape variety. After ageing in oak barrels for 24 months, the wine then ages for a further 6 months on fine lees creating incredibly ripe flavours. Champagne Henri Giraud is the oldest Champagne house still owned by its founding family – the Giraud-Hémart family has farmed vines at Aÿ since 1625. However, it is only since current head Claude Giraud took over that the wines have been released under the family name.
Champagne Henri Giraud PR 21/90
Price: $217.50 Your Price: $195.75 Quantity in Stock: 6
Henri Giraud's Perpetual Reserve 90-21 Champagne is part of the prestigious Perpetual Reserve series, known for its intricate blending of multiple vintages. The "90-21" designation indicates that this cuvée incorporates reserve wines from 1990 to 2021, using a solera system to achieve depth and complexity.
Grape varieties: Predominantly Pinot Noir (80%), supplemented by Chardonnay (20%).
Ageing: The wine is aged on the lees for a minimum of three years, which contributes to its rich texture and nuanced flavours.
Tasting notes: While specific tasting notes for the 90-21 release are limited, insights from previous releases such as the 90-20 suggest a complex profile with aromas of toasted bread, grapefruit, dried orange, chalk and subtle clove nuances. The palate is typically creamy in texture, with flavours reminiscent of brioche, toasted hazelnut, dried fruit, fresh custard and white peach, leading to a long, salty finish.
MV20 Champagne Henri Giraud Fut De Chene Grand Cru Ay Magnum
Price: $735.00 Your Price: $661.50
MV20 Champagne Henri Giraud Fut De Chene Grand Cru Ay
Price: $292.50 Your Price: $263.25
The founding Cuvée of the new Giraud history, a symbol of a return to excellence and the origins of Champagne. Multi Vintage, a guardian of Champagne know how and natural modernity, combines traditional craftsmanship and modern winemaking techniques while keeping in mind the period when the great families of Champagne built the region's history on the genius of its people and its wines. Here is a unique lace built in the image of great perfumes, the perpetual reserve, gentle animal attraction. Salinity and warmth underline the meticulousness, harmony, and dexterity of MV. The hand-embedded clip is a sign of its authenticity.
Blend: 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
2015 Champagne Henri Giraud Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut Champagne
Price: $820.00 Your Price: $738.00 Quantity in Stock: 2
A structured and broad-shouldered blanc de blancs with very tight bubbles and layers of spices, dried citrus peel, toast and minerals. Very expressive, complex and layered, honing in at the end with precision and plenty of firmness. Integrated phenolics give this tension for a hot vintage. Lightly bitter at the end. 100% chardonnay from a single parcel in Ay.
2015 Champagne Henri Giraud Argonne Aÿ Grand Cru Magnum
Price: $2100.00 Your Price: $1848.00
2017 Champagne Henri Giraud Argonne Aÿ Grand Cru
Price: $937.50 Your Price: $843.75
Rich and exotic, with a palate textured like raw silk and carrying layers of pastry cream, glazed apricot tart, vanilla, toasted coconut, crystallized honey and tangy crushed blackberry. The vibrant acidity imparts a lissome quality to the overall structure, keeping this graceful and fresh on the persistent, spiced finish.
Henri Giraud Solera Ratafia de Champagne 500ml
Price: $85.50 Your Price: $75.24 Quantity in Stock: 7
Soléra is an ancestral method of maturing and gradually assembling different vintages, generally used for the great Port wines. Patiently, the fruitiest juices chosen from the best cuvees, were raised in small oak barrels and then blended around a heart of Pinot Noir D'Aÿ.
The color is remarkable warm, reminiscent of very old Champagnes or sweet, liquorish wines of more than thirty years of age. Amber coloured with pretty, coppery highlights that are almost red.
The first aromas are powerful, with cherry preserve, warm spices (turmeric), almonds and Maraschino against a background of meat juices providing depth. Then the expression becomes finer and more complex: chocolate, preserved orange peel, cherries in eau-de-vie and quince jelly, with a hint of cinnamon and then, gradually, a touch of the classic 'rancio' of great fortified wines. After breathing and warming a few degrees, dried fruits (apricots), poached pairs and even grape must begin to emerge.
It's as if this Ratafia de Champagne is rejuvenated as it warms up. This extraordinary blossoming is best enjoyed served at between 10 and 15°C.
In the mouth, very supple and smooth, we are immediately taken by its caressing creamy texture. This fullness is confirmed through the tasting process, and then gradually the fine Champagne temperament of this Ratafia refreshes the overall effect. This end of summer sweetness gives us delicious aromas of dried apricots, cocoa and cherries. The finish is long (8 to 10 seconds) and pure, with a handsome touch of acidity leaving the mouth perfectly clean and fresh.
Grape Varieties: 30% Chardonnay 70% Pinot Noir. Second pressing musts cold settled, stabilised with liqueur (wine distillate) then raised in small oak barrels according to the rules of soléra, using the very best Champagne vintages.
Scientific proof that Champagne is good for your brain
New research shows that drinking one to three glasses of champagne a week may counteract the memory loss associated with ageing, and could help delay the onset of degenerative brain disorders, such as dementia.
Scientists at the University of Reading have shown that the phenolic compounds found in champagne can improve spatial memory, which is responsible for recording information about one's environment, and storing the information for future navigation.
The compounds work by modulating signals in the hippocampus and cortex, which control memory and learning. The compounds were found to favourably alter a number of proteins linked to the effective storage of memories in the brain. Many of these are known to be depleted with age, making memory storage less efficient, and leading to poorer memory in old age and conditions such as dementia. Champagne slows these loses and therefore may help prevent the cognitive losses that occur during typical and atypical brain ageing.
Champagne has relatively high levels of phenolics compared to white wine, deriving predominantly from the two red grapes, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, which are used in its production along with the white grape Chardonnay. It is these phenolic compounds which are believed to be responsible for the beneficial effects of champagne on the brain.
Professor Jeremy Spencer, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, said: "These exciting results illustrate for the first time that the moderate consumption of champagne has the potential to influence cognitive functioning, such as memory. Such observations have previously been reported with red wine, through the actions of flavonoids contained within it.
"However, our research shows that champagne, which lacks flavonoids, is also capable of influencing brain function through the actions of smaller phenolic compounds, previously thought to lack biological activity. We encourage a responsible approach to alcohol consumption, and our results suggest that a very low intake of one to two glasses a week can be effective."
Dr. David Vauzour, the researcher on the study, added: "in the near future we will be looking to translate these findings into humans. This has been achieved successfully with other polyphenol-rich foods, such as blueberry and cocoa, and we predict similar outcomes for moderate Champagne intake on cognition in humans."
Previous research from the University of Reading revealed that two glasses of champagne a day may be good for your heart and circulation and could reduce the risks of suffering from cardiovascular disease and stroke.
The paper is published in Antioxidants and Redox Signalling.
ENDS
For all media enquiries please contact Alex Brannen 07834 006 243 or James Barr 07788 714376
Notes for editors: The University of Reading is ranked among the top 1% of universities in the world (THE World University Rankings 2012) and is one of the UK's top research-intensive universities The Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences is the largest University department of its kind in the UK, combining state of the art teaching facilities, clinical nutrition unit, labs and the largest pilot processing plant in the UK. The Department is internationally recognised for the quality of its research and enjoys a high public profile both domestically and internationally.
The department continues to work with the food industry over a wide range of industrially funded research projects and contracts under our Food Chain and Health research theme. This includes one-to-one funding from multi-national companies through to small and medium sized enterprises.
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