Henriot Champagne Brut Souverain 750 ML

This has aromas of chopped apples, biscuits, croissants, walnuts, praline and lemon pie. Dry, tasty and toasty, with a medium body, fine bubbles and bright acidity. All in balance. 48% pinot noir, 42% chardonnay, 10% meunier. Base 2016, with 38% reserve wine. Lovely to drink now. Producer Information Champagne Henriot is an independent, family-owned house in Champagne. The Brut Souverain is the house's most important wine, both in terms of fame and production, and is made of roughly equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with a smaller proportion of Pinot Meunier. The Henriot family control roughly 35 hectares (87 acres) of vineyards, scattered around the Valle de la Marne, Montagne de Reims and the Cte des Blancs. These provide around 20 percent of the company's needs, with most of the remainder supplied by regular contract growers. Pinot Noir is selected mainly from the premier and grands cru vineyards on the northern slope of the Montagne de Reims, while the Chardonnay comes largely from the Cte des Blancs. Chardonnay is Henriot's most important variety, and the portfolio has both a generic Blanc de Blancs wine and the premium Cuve 38, sourced exclusively from grand cru vineyards. Henriot also makes a Demi-Sec and Ros Brut, as well as a Vintage Brut and Ros. Previously named the Cuve des Enchanteleurs, the Cuve Hemera is at the very top of the range and is only produced in the best years. The first vintage of the Cuve Hemera was the 2005. The Henriot family came from Lorraine originally, but moved to the Champagne region in 1640 and began to broker wines and acquire vineyards. Henriot was established in 1808 and in 1850, the business was declared the official supplier to the Imperial and Royal Court of Austria. It is now part of a wider group that includes Bouchard Pre et Fils in Burgundy, William Fvre in Chablis, and Villa Ponciago in Beaujolais.