Introduction: Dame Jane is the new rosé in the range, replacing Esprit Rosé. The base wine is the Hommage, blended before bottling with 6% red Pinot Noir Coteaux Champenois, Aÿ Grand Cru, that is vinified from 70 year old vines. The red wine is fermented and aged in Dame-Jane (amphora/ demi-john). History: Dame-Jane comes from the Persian city of Damghan located on the silk road in the fertile crescent of Mesopotami, the cradle of wine. Specialized in the production of glass and terra cotta carboy for oil and wine transport, Damghan floods the merchant fleet of its bulging demijohn of low quantity from Antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages. Dame-Jane Rose tells the generosity of its Pinots, clinging on the southern chalk, vinified in Argonne oak barrelsand aged in terra cotta jar for AOC red wine. This is a “teller”, put it in the mouth and it talks! Tasting Notes: A superior wine to the previous rosé which had been similar to Esprit. The base wine is the cuvée Hommage*, blended before bottling with 6% red Pinot Noir Coteaux Champenois, Aÿ Grand Cru, that is vinified from 70 year old vines. The red wine is fermented and aged in Dame-Jane (amphora/ demi-john). 2 years on yeast into the bottle *[Hommage: 70% Pinot Noir/ 30% Chardonnay 6 months of vinification (FA + FML) over full lees in stainless steel tanks + 6 months of ageing in Argonne oak barrels. 3 years on yeast into the bottle.] Background Information: Contemporaries of Henri IV and his descendants, the Hémart family settled permanently in Aÿ at the beginning of the 17th century. Their history took root there and became closely interwoven with the momentous historical events relating to Champagne from the 18th century onwards. At the opening of the 20th century, Léon Giraud married Miss Hémart and reconstructed the magnificent family vineyard, which had been ravaged by phylloxera. Today, Claude Giraud, the 12th generation of the Giraud-Hémart family, is in charge of the fortunes of the family business.   The Giraud-Hémart family own 20 hectares – 35 parcels of Grand Cru land of which 26 is planted with Pinot Noir and 9 with Chardonnay. Only 17 of the Champagne region’s 323 Crus are classed as Grand Crus (rated 100%). The wine production of Giraud estate is environmentally-friendly, subscribing to the ‘lutte-raisonnée’ (limited intervention grape growing).   The overall production is limited to 250 000 bottles a year, making the Giraud Champagne stand apart from the majority of bulk-producing champagne houses.   The Giraud house is one of the few houses (Krug is another example) that conduct primary fermentations in oak. Henri Giraud pride themselves on sourcing wood for its barrels from the slow growing, tight grained, high quality trees of the ancient forest of Argonne, lying just 35 miles from the estate.   Described by leading wine critic Robert Parker as “the finest Champagne house virtually no one has ever heard of”.   The reason for this is that until the 1990s their wines were only sold directly to discerning, well-informed private customer in France and Italy.