Henriot's Under-the-Radar Tête de Cuvée Over-Delivers
The Henriot Cuvée Hemera is not a household name when it comes to tête de cuvée Champagne, but this is a wine that deserves to be much better known by Champagne lovers than it is. Unlike the most famous tête de cuvée offerings, this is a small-production Champagne with an extraordinarily strict selection and a very, very long ageing time on the lees. Some producers even offer “late disgorged” Champagne that is younger than the current release of the Hemera.
Cinnamon and I opened the 2005 Henriot “Cuvée Hemera” Brut Champagne for our special Sunday aperitif, and paired it with a smoked salmon mousse with capers and chives. We were very impressed at the combination of rich brioche flavors from the long ageing and the refreshing, mineral lift from the great vineyard sites. This is an elegant, special wine that is great for a splurge.
This wine is now 16 years old, making it perhaps the oldest current release Champagne on the shelf—a proper “vintage” vintage. Henriot has only selected six grand cru villages for the blend: it is composed of 50% Chardonnay from Avize, Chouilly, and Mesnil and 50% Pinot Noir from Mailly, Verzy, and Verzenay. This choice of grand crus, exclusively from the north-facing slopes of the Mountain of Reims, is what really sets this Champagne apart. All of the gras in this wine comes from the dozen-plus years of sur-lee ageing, and, while the Pinot Noir gives the wine power, it is not over blown. I find that the hazelnut aromas of Verzenay in this wine play perfectly with the white flowers of the top-quality Chardonnay. Even after all of this time, the color is still a white gold, and the super brioche mid-palate is balanced perfect by Mesnil chalk cut and north slope Pinot red fruit. The dosage is deft at 5 grams per liter, and the wine is so long and detailed that you will be still almost tasting the next day.
If you are looking for a new way to treat yourself, look no further. This is special tête de cuvée.
A toast to you,
- Gary Westby