Henri Giraud Dame Jane Rose NV
The NV Dame-Jane Rosé Brut is replacing the Esprit Rosé. Its base wine is the Hommage, blended with 6% red Aÿ Grand Cru Pinot Noir from 70-year-old vines. The red wine is fermented and aged in Dame-Jane (amphora/demi-john). The wine has a beautiful color that oscillates between salmon pink and onion skins. The bouquet is very fine and vinous, displaying delicate fruit along with floral and fascinating herbal aromas (oregano, basil). Very elegant and perfectly round on the palate, this is a highly delicate and quite truly vinous Rosé with a long, well-structured, pure and slightly salty finish. The fruit and mousse are remarkably fine, and it's really hard to resist the charm of this exciting Rosé, which was disgorged after two years on the lees in March 2017. Tasted in April 2018, which is obviously the perfect moment for this blend of 70% Pinot Noir with 30% Chardonnay. I find it really stunning how much the wine gains (finesse and roundness) with the addition of Pinot Noir. Total production: 20.000 bottles. Drink from 2018-2020. Published by The Wine Advocate in June 2018.
Vinous - 93 Points - March 2021
The NV Rosé Rose Dame-Jane is light and airy in the glass. Crushed flowers, sweet crushed berries, white pepper and mint are all beautifully lifted. Translucent and gracious, the Dame-Jane is quite a departure for a house that was previously known for rich, opulent Champagnes. The Dame-Jane is done with an 'Oeil de Perdrix' base in which Pinot is given a short time on the skins for added color and structure. Right before bottling, touches of Chardonnay and still Pinot are added to fine-tune the blend. The Dame-Jane is aged entirely in sandstone terracotta, an approach that works beautifully. This release is based on 2017, with 40% reserve wines.
Vinous - 92 Points - July 2019
The MV 07 Brut Fût de Chêne (Collection) is rich, sumptuous and super-expressive. Candied apricot, orange marmalade, butter, sweet oak, mint, wild flowers and honey are all infused in this sumptuous, racy Champagne. Exotic and tropical in feel, Giraud’s MV is endowed with real class and plenty of trademark Aÿ radiance. Today, the 2007 is at a real peak of expression. The blend is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. Disgorged: July 8, 2017.
Wine Advocate - 92 Points
Disgorged in November 2017, the finest Champagne that I have ever tasted from Giraud is the NV Brut Grand Cru Aÿ Fût de Chêne MV13, a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay that's based on the 2013 vintage, supplemented by fully 40% older wine from a perpetual reserve. Wafting from the glass with a rich bouquet of buttered yellow orchard fruits, brioche, dried white flowers, peach, orange rind and smoke, complemented by some delicate oxidative top notes, it's full-bodied, broad and vinous, with an enveloping attack, a deep and layered core, lively acids and a long, sapid finish. While the vins clairs spent a year in oak, the wood influence is much more discrete than has sometimes been the case with Giraud's wines, contributing texture and a gentle aromatic patina but remaining in a supporting role. Powerful but precise, this is a terrific effort that comes warmly recommended.