Henriot Brut Souverain NV Champagne

"The history of Champagne reminds me of Harvard professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s quote, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” The long and fascinating history of Champagne is full of remarkable women who were way ahead of their time. Women who dared; women who strived for more than had been decided for them as a result of their gender. In 1808 Maison Henriot was founded by one such badly behaved and brilliant woman, Apolline Henriot, the young widow of Nicolas Henriot. Her first wine was a version of this wine, now known as Henriot Brut Souverain NV and it is a blend of all the house’s vineyards from 26 different crus and vintages. Today, more than two centuries after its foundation, Champagne Henriot remains a small family-run business and its chef de cave is, fittingly, a woman. Alice Tétienne is one of the handful of women in Champagne to hold the prestigious title of cellar master – the person responsible for the entire Champagne-making process. This stunning Champagne is pale gold in the glass, the nose is lucious with gorgeous cream and brioche, which leads seamlessly into the beautifully balanced and lengthy palate. In my introduction I encouraged you to find something you hadn’t heard of previously and couldn’t pronounce. I appreciate that could be a bit confronting, so here’s the good news: you now know of Champagne Henriot and its marvellous history, you know it is outstanding because our judges have deemed it so. All that’s left for you to know is that it’s pronounced ‘En- Ree-Oh’ – so now there’s nothing standing in your way."

"Henriot in general aims for understated wines and like the regular Souverain, this is has a distinct yeast component but it's more restrained than the vast majority of examples in this review. The reserved nose features notes of green apple and white rose with the aforementioned yeast present only as a nuance that leads to crisp, refined and very pure flavors that offer both excellent cut and fine detail. It will also age extremely well and for my taste, I would allow it another 2 to 3 years first as it will repay your patience amply. Lovely juice."

"This is the most historical wine in the Henriot collection – a cuvée made since 1808 which, every year, includes all their crus. In 1880, when widow Apolline Henriot founded Maison Henriot, that was just three, all Pinot Noir vineyards; this particular bottle is a blend of 26 crus, comprising 60% 2015 and 40% reserve wines, 45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier. It is basically a snapshot in time of all the vineyards of the house, and, in a rather charming way, if you were to taste all the Brut Souverains back over time, the wines would tell the evolution of the history of the house. Dosage 6.5 g/l. Sur lattes for four years, and then held back for a year in bottle after disgorging. Very well-balanced with a dense, mealy nose and the Chardonnay angularity balancing out the depth and substance of Pinot fruit perfectly. Compact, poised, tight-knit. Lovely hazelnuts and lemon-zest grilled polenta. The acidity starts in the middle like a spinning sphere and then unfurls in sherbet-dipped ribbons that fill every corner of the mouth. Very good stuff." Drink 2021 - 2028