Claude Giraud, President of the Champagne House Henri Giraud in Aÿ – representing the 12th generation – talks about his love of Pinot Noir on the occasion of the 155th Hospices de Beaune’s Wine Auction.
Tell us about your love for Pinot Noir…
Claude Giraud: “Why do I love Pinot Noir so much? Oh, it’s a long story…but to cut a long story short, Pinot Noir is one of the three pillars of our Champagne house (Aÿ Grand Cru, Pinot Noir and Argonne oak barrels). The salinity, the intensity and the aromatic complexity that are the signature of our champagnes are derived from this extraordinary grape. Champagne owes everything to Pinot Noir, its aromatic palette that inspired so much fascination in the 19th century and the deep colour which made it the muse of the great poets. It is not by chance that white wine pressed from Pinot Noir grown on the porous chalk Campanian hills made its everlasting mark on the history of wine and men. Champagne lives in Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is the future of Champagne!”
Pinot Noir – a northern grape?
Claude Giraud: “Pinot Noir is a perfect illustration of the incomparable finesse of wines from the north, whether it be a red from Burgundy or a white from Champagne. The equation “cool climate + soft chalk” yields its supreme expression, making it one of the most precious grape varieties. This duality between power and fragility has become the qualitative benchmark that all great wines aspire to. When it was brought from Burgundy, it was at the origin of the surge in quality in the wines of Champagne in the 17th century, when winemakers learned to make great white wine from it. Champagne was touched by the “little ice age” (1650 to 1850), which was an episode so cold that we couldn’t make a decent white wine from white grapes nor a good red wine from black grapes. And so the genius of the Champagne winemakers came into play and they outsmarted the climate and revolutionised pressing and winemaking techniques by learning to make a great white wine from black grapes.”
What does Burgundy inspire in you?
Claude Giraud: “It’s a reference, of course. I often say that champagne is first and foremost a great wine. Our job is to ensure that our champagnes made from Pinot Noir give as much pleasure as the greatest red Burgundies. When I drink the wines of Arnaud Mortet, Lalou Bize Leroy, Henri Frédérique Roch or Jacques Frédérique Mugnier, I am transported. It’s an emotion that touches you, that you share and, God knows the great winemakers of this magnificent region know how to share… It’s so difficult to leave Beaune and this beautiful region when you have spent two days with passionate people who strive for excellence in everything they do. It has been extremely enriching for us and has also allowed us to enjoy many pleasant moments with these old vintages which always leave us with indelible memories”.
Watch the new Film with Claude Giraud: “The Path of Humility“
