Finally, it is June 15 and California has lifted the mask mandate! Life is almost back to normal, so celebrate with us as Mona introduces Anne to a new champagne and we symbolically end lockdown with a “mask cutting”.
Celebrate with us…..bubbly or not, it’s a great day for California!
Henriot Brut Souverain
- This champagne is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, and 5% Pinot Meunier.
- A blend of 25 different wines from Cotes des Blancs and Montagne de Reims
- Aged over 3 years
- 30% reserve wines
- Dosage less than 8g/l
- On the nose, citrus fruit followed by a floral bouquet and elderberry. Notes of toasty brioche and almonds.
- On the palate, dry and well balanced, with lovely acidity. Flavors of brioche, cherries, white peach. A long, clean and refreshing finish.
For over 210 years the Henriot family has symbolised the innovative approach and high standards of a champagne house that has remained independent.
Originally from Lorraine, the Henriot family settled in Champagne in 1640. Nicolas Henriot married Apolline Godinot, who owned prestigious Pinot Noir vineyards in the Montagne de Reims. Together, they devoted their time and energy to the family vineyards and selling wine. On the death of her husband in 1808, Apolline launched Maison Henriot.
Apolline, the widow of Nicolas Henriot, took over the wine estate and founded the House of Henriot, spreading its reputation to the greatest royal courts in Europe.Apolline was the niece of the very famous Abbé Godinot, an erudite man who contributed to improvements in viticulture and the making of the Champagne wine.
In 1880, Marie Marguet, the wife of Apolline’s grandson, added to the family’s collection of vineyards with several plots in the Côte des Blancs: the style of the House’s wines was born. This firmly established Maison Henriot in the prestigious Chardonnay vineyards. Today, using the finest Blancs de Champagne which are at the heart of its history, Henriot adds an exceptionally high proportion of Premier and Grand Crus to its cuvées which come from the finest Chardonnay parcels.
The Henriot family has been deploying its wine-producing expertise and conquering new markets worldwide for eight generations. Etienne, Nicolas, Joseph and Gilles are the great names of this genealogy.
The House of Henriot is one of the rare Champagne houses that have stayed in the same family for over two hundred years. It draws its freedom to make the most audacious choices from its spirit of independence.
Champagne Henriot is owned by Maisons & Domaines Henriot, a family-run, two-hundred-year-old and international company that today federates five houses emblematic of their terroirs. The Henriot family also owns the producers Bouchard Père & Fils, William Fèvre and Château de Poncié in Burgundy and Chablis.
The audacity of Independence
Founded in 1808, Champagne Henriot is one of the few remaining family-owned Houses with over two hundred years of independence. Since 1808, the style and culture of the House has been built around the values of collegiality, excellence and audacity.
The vineyards it uses are situated throughout the appellation. The house is fortunate to have access to Grands and Premiers Crus, particularly in the Côte des Blancs, stronghold of the chardonnay variety which dominates in its blends: Avize, Oger, Cramant, Vertus and others. Pinot noir is selected principally from crus on the northern slope of the Montagne de Reims, such as Verzy, Verzenay and Val d’Or.
Chardonnay driven
Over the years, the House has been cultivating a distinctive style of its own, guided by the pursuit of the purest expression of Chardonnay. Champagne Henriot Blanc de Blancs is its most personal and emblematic expression of the House style, along with its prestige cuvées, Cuvée Hemera and Cuve 38. The Henriot family home, Les Aulnois, located at the foot of the Côte des Blancs, inspires the Henriot family history and guides its future.
Alice Tétienne
Henriot is delighted to announce the arrival in post of its new Cellar Master. Alice Tétienne joined the house on 18th February and brings her own vision of excellence and a unique sense of detail to maintain the Henriot house style.
With her attachment both to the environment and the men and women who work within it, Alice Tétienne is going to contribute to the brilliance and renown of our champagnes. We are proud to have her at our sides, to perpetuate further Henriot’s signature and philosophy in a long-term vision, accented to the future.Born and raised in the Champagne region, Alice Tétienne has spent the majority of her life in the vines, relishing putting her hands in the soil and deeply curious about the diversity of terroir that exists all around her. Tétienne came to Champagne Henriot from Maison Krug, where she was responsible for vineyard relations and was a member of the Tasting Committee. Before Maison Krug, Tétienne joined Centre Vinicole Nicolas Feuillatte in 2014 as an oenologist, supporting winegrowers on grape pressing and winemaking. She holds a Bachelor’s in Vine Sciences, and a Master’s in Vine and Terroir from Institut Universitaire de la Vigne et du Vin Dijon, as well as a National Diploma of Oenology from Les Unités de Formation et de Recherche (UFR) Reims, a Master Wines and Champagne qualification from University de Reims Champagne Ardenne, and considerable experience working in various wine regions throughout France. Tétienne was awarded the “Best Winemaker of the Year” in 2020 by Trophées Champenois for her dedicated work.
Champagne Henriot, one of the last remaining family-owned Champagne House with more than 200 years history, is excited to introduce its new Cellar Master, Alice Tétienne, who will start on April 1st and succeed Cellar Master Laurent Fresnet after 13 years with the House.
Tétienne comes to the House from Maison Krug where she was responsible for vineyard relations and a member of the Tasting Committee. She is one of the Champagne industry’s most highly-specialized winemakers, with qualifications including a Master of Vine and Terroir from Institut Universitaire de la Vigne et du Vin Dijon, a National Diploma of Oenology from Les Unités de Formation et de Recherche (UFR) Reims, a Master Wines and Champagne qualification from University de Reims Champagne Ardenne, and experience working in various wine regions under her belt.
“We are very happy that Alice Tétienne is joining us,” says Gilles de Larouzière, President of Maisons & Domaines Henriot and 8th generation of the Henriot family. “A brilliant and talented woman, she will contribute to growing the influence of Champagne Henriot, thanks to her culture of excellence and her strong spirit of collaboration with our partners in the vineyard. By appointing her, we also have a special thought for another talented woman, my ancestor Apolline Henriot, who founded our House in 1808.”
Born in the Champagne region and driven by a desire to acquire an overall understanding of the vineyard, Alice Tétienne began studying the vine growing field in order to understand the raw materials and the influence of the terroir on both the vegetative development and the quality of the grapes. Tétienne holds a Bachelor’s in Vine Sciences, and a Master’s in Vine and Terroir. During her studies, she worked at several wine estates and research centers where she developed a vision that is both field-based, but also scientific.
In order to be capable of building both the value and image of Champagne, Tétienne then sharpened her communication skills and experience, while obtaining a Master’s in Wines and Champagne, and joining the Marketing Department of Champagne House Laurent Perrier. There, she finally focused on oenology, obtaining the National Diploma of Oenologist and was awarded for her oenological innovation and received a prize for her dissertation.
Tétienne joined Centre Vinicole Nicolas Feuillatte in 2014 as an oenologist, supporting winegrowers on grape pressing and winemaking and finally Maison Krug in November 2015.
Through her experience, Tétienne has acquired knowledge of all the critical steps to craft Champagne wines, starting from the raw materials, its selection and understanding, to blending and winemaking. She has also acquired excellent interpersonal relationship skills and solid knowledge of the Champagne vineyards as a whole.
