Team USA builds relations with Team Kenya while meeting together for a tasting seminar at Henriot Champagne House in the Champagne region of France in October, 2022. We were drawn to the Henriot property because of another woman in wine, Apolline Henriot, who found herself a widow in 1808, in the Champagne region. She was the first person who believed in terroir, believing that her desire,” to shed light on her lands through Champagne, is the first attempt to recognize soil and place influencers of Montagne de Reims. She founded Maison Henriot.
During our tasting, we were learning about identifying the soils that the Henriot family identified in their 1920 soil survey. We also learned about the art of blending and the importance of blending in the region. Not just blending of the three traditional grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Munier, but also the blending of the past years of reserve wines. The wine originally created by Apolline is still in practice today as Henriot Brut Souverain, and is a blend of the three traditional grapes, a multi-cru(29) and muli-vintage blend. We noted the chalk, stone fruit, and essence of red apple from the pinot noir.
Henriot 38 is an excellent example. It is a blend of wines from 1990 to 2001. Made exclusively from four Chardonnay Grand Cru vineyards of Cotes des Blancs. This wine is created each year as a tribute to Apolline.
We were treated to a finale wine of the 2008 Vintage Henriot Millesime! Very much appreciated by both teams with compliments to the winemaking!
