Champagne Henri Giraud Grand Cru AY Fut De Chene Brut 1999

70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay harvested in the Aÿ area. Racked in the cold, vinified and matured for 12 months in oak barrels.

The colour is a real feast for the eyes. A quite intense, luminous and warm golden pink tint, it has fine strings of calm and regular bubbles which give the ensemble a feeling of volume, a certain depth.
It therefore presents as rich and deep accompanied by a definite grace.

The intensity of the initial nose is exceptional, as is always the case with this cuvée, but this time the wine presents itself as a real delicacy. The cooked peach, pear and crystallised lemon notes are present but are magnified by being matured in the bottle. Praline, brioche and honey against a hint of cinnamon make this nose a truly aromatic dessert.
The minerality then asserts itself. Notes of cherry, stone fruit, “smokiness” on an animal base reveal the omnipresence of the pinot noir. The aromatic expression becomes more refined, tauter and more sustained. Complexity becomes the watchword; from maturing in the cellar, it moves on to the character endowed by the grape variety… 
Then the terroir is revealed. Chalkiness minerality, notes of shellfish, extra fine leather, saffron, broom, jasmin… An exceptional nose; affable, complete, brilliant, gourmand, rare with a style that suggests the most successful features of the Bourgogne region’s wines.

The attack is fresh on the palate and then, from the very next second, the wine turns out to be very substantial. Generous and full, in that way typical of the year, it opens up immediately. The freshness (acidity, effervescence) melts into the “extra large” body and just accompanies the wine’s bulk.
From mid palate, the wine’s structure is supported by a touch of fine and non aromatic tannin. Up to the finale, the wine’s fatness is impressive and gives the ensemble the impression of being unctuous.
A sumptuous palate that ends with a beautiful vinosity, a feeling of warmth that signals the year.
The finale, clean and long (lingering in the mouth for seven seconds), ends lightly chalky and tannic, with notes of aniseed, liquorice, gingerbread and English custard. The texture of the wine thus gradually passes from being unctuous to creamy. The last note is warm, thus signalling the character of this “solar” vintage cuvée.

This wine is a worthy heir to the previous vintages of the same cuvée. It is rich and complex and attractive. It tells us about its history, origins and birth in a unique style at the very height of the expression of the Champagne region. Today it is revealed in a state of perfect maturity, typical of the “solar” years that marked the last decade of champagne. 
Frank, with no reserve or calculation, it turns out to be generous, full, warm, seductive and with no complexes.  
It should be served under the very best conditions to experts, enlightened amateurs and lovers of champagne wines as it will rapidly become the centre of conversation.
In terms of food there are two general comments:
The creamy, even unctuous, texture of the wine (depending on the temperature at which it is served) demands foods with textures that are themselves creamy or unctuous.
Another recommendation, its rich, warm, “solar” character calls for warm dishes.
After that anything will suit it. From fish to red meat, white meat and of course foie gras. Hot spices (curry, colombo…) and “en croûte” dishes will give a boost to your combinations.
Finally this wine only reaches its full stature when served at around ten to twelve degrees.