Located in Ay, the home of great Pinot Noir, all the Henri Giraud wines are made from Grand Cru vineyards. It is all about the oak, taken from the now neglected Argonne forest, historically the source of all oak used in champagne. Until recently very much a Grower, rising popularity has led to Giraud purchasing fruit, technically propelling them into negociant status. Technicalities aside, these are unique wines, with this the new rose in the range, the Hommage base wine blended before bottling with Ay Grand Cru Pinot Noir from 70-year-old vines.

First impressions on the nose are marked by notes of spring flowers (acacia, honeysuckle), candied citrus, pineapple and fresh hazelnut. Then the soil expresses itself with iodine and mineral notes. The palate is clean and invigorating, with greedy aromas of eXOtic fruit, lychee, citrus and fresh almond. The finish is precise, elegant - on white flowers - chalky and saline. Worthy of the greatest Blanc de blancs!

Henri Giraud's most prestigious cuvee. This is incredibly good Champagne, one of the finest in the world. Rare and exclusively available in New Zealand at Glengarry. Named after the forest where the house sources the oak for the barrels they craft. Robert Parker sums it up well in this quote resembles the top cuvees from Krug [with] more freshness A bold statement, one sip will in fact show you the ripe, richness and impressive quality of the wine, all encases in finesse and clarity that belies belief. Only created in exceptional vintages. This is seriously exciting and sensational wine.

The base of this wine is exactly the same as its Blanc stable mate, with 5% red from 80 year old grapes grown in Ay. This is very smart rose, delicacy with dark red fruit at the same time, a rich palate and a lovely balanced finish.

In this elegant bottle, tattooed with pink gold, ARGONNE ROSE gets close to the exceptional. A rare jewel, the ultimate experience when you taste this exceptional creation. "This is something else on the nose, with saltines, dried orange, grapefruit, flowers, white pears, peaches, white pepper, rust and five spice. Crazy spice, citrus and rusty minerality. Very fine bubbles. Energy and softness combined. Copper colored, but otherwise hard to compare to other rose Champagnes. Savory and intellectual. Unique in the wine world. 90% pinot noir and 10% chardonnay. 800 bottles. Try this if you can. Drink or hold." James Suckling