New Release. Price £160.00. Tasting Notes: TBC Grape Varieties: 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. The house’s multi-vintage blend, based on the 2016 vintage deepened by the addition of one-third older wine from a perpetual reserve (solera system). House Style: – Henri Giraud was established in Ay in 1625. – Grapes are grown on the chalky slopes of the Montagne de Reims where the House’s long-standing respect for the terroir and organic viticulture mean that their vineyards have zero residue of herbicide and pesticide. – Base wines are vinified in Argonne Oak bringing unrivalled richness and depth of flavour. – Reserve wines dating back to 1990s from Henri Giraud’s own version of the solera, their unique “perpetual reserve”, are used to add dimensions unreached by other Domaines. Reviews: “Edgy but satisfying, and should probably appeal to a wider range of wine drinkers than the defiantly oak-influenced Argonne. Really very fine.” 17.5/20 Jancis Robinson MW “Lots of ripe apples, peaches, brioche, yeast, white pepper and bread dough. Mustard flowers too. Full-bodied, yet so energetic and intense. So much going on. Mineral and iodine, too. Weightless on the palate.” 97/100 James Suckling “A Champagne of towering presence, the MV16 is classy, understated and undeniably alluring. It is also one of the most impressive Champagnes I have ever tasted from Claude Giraud.” 97/100 Antonio Galloni Review of Henri Giraud: “Giraud makes some of the most unique, individualistic wines in Champagne. All of the wines bear the unmistakable stamp of the Grand Cru vineyards of Ay. At their best, the Giraud Champagnes offer incredible intensity, class and balance.” Robert Parker “Giraud’s meticulous attention to detail is evident throughout the cellar. I can’t think of too many producers in any region who have spent as much time as Giraud has on oak and in particular on understanding the nuances of the various forests that provide the oak for his barrels.” Antonio Galloni