2014 Henri Giraud, Argonne Grand Cru, Ay

The 2014 Henri Giraud Argonne is the distillation of 12 generations of winemaking expertise. All the new oak barrels come from the nearby Argonne forest, which has seen ten centuries of great Champagne. The cellar master, Sebastien Le Golvet, even leads the toasting himself. Meanwhile, the Champagne exclusively features grand cru fruit. Not only is grand cru the highest classification in France, but Giraud utilizes sustainable viticulture to ensure a pure expression of his wine The resulting cuvée is immaculate, with the richness of Aÿ on full display. Layers of white fruit, citrus, walnuts, and toasted bread create a concentrated body that manages to remain delicate and graceful. Meanwhile, splashes of minerality lend themselves to a multi-dimensional mouthfeel. The only problem? Giraud fewer than 8,000 bottles of this riveting Champagne were produced. The Final Sip: This extraordinary Champagne lives up to its grand cru billing and then some, with structure and complexity that will reward collectors for decades.