When in the company of wine cognoscenti, rare is the opportunity to present a bottle that renders them speechless, but today’s offer accomplishes just that: Every Champagne expert knows Henriot; they just don’t know “Cuvée Hemera”—yet! Henriot has long enjoyed the respect of critics and sommeliers, but recent activity has made their celebrity status explode.
Today’s prestige cuvée is a masterful transitional project that has finally been completed after 12 years. It’s a towering achievement that showcases the highest levels of richness, purity, and freshness Champagne can achieve—even after nearly 150 months of undisturbed aging. The best part? This is a chance to become one of the first to experience a luxury Champagne that will soon be in the hands of aficionados and on the world’s very best wine lists. Sourced from six of the finest Grand Crus, this is a tête de cuvée Champagne designed to stand alongside the most prestigious names in the region. Cuvée Hemera is a luxurious stunner that will be remembered long after it’s been opened, but quantities are extremely limited: With only a few cases to distribute, we must set the limit at three per person.
‘Tête de cuvée,’ or ‘prestige cuvée,’ is the term used to describe the very top offering of a Champagne house. They are typically sourced from the region's most distinguished villages and aged for extended periods—usually 6+ years. Of course, style and quality varies from house to house, but one thing is generally true of all prestige Champagnes: they are pricey, and rightly so, due to the cost of premium Grand Cru fruit and the commitment to not see a return on investment as the wine ages for many years. Henriot is one of the most extreme examples—they are one of very few Champagnes houses that age their prestige cuvée for more than a decade—twelve years to be exact. Most other prestige cuvées are released much sooner.
The Henriot family first inhabited Champagne in the mid-17th century as merchants. Textiles were their main business, but wine also exchanged hands, leading to the acquisition of vineyards as time went by. Nearing the advent of the 19th century, Nicolas Henriot married Apolline Godinot (who owned vineyards in Montagne de Reims), both of whom continued expanding their holdings and love for Champagne until his death in 1808. Apolline responded by founding Veuve (widow) Henriot Ainé and immediate success followed. At eight generations and counting, the house has remained in family hands —a rare feat in Champagne.
Now, some of you may be wondering, “Wait a minute, I thought ‘Cuvée des Enchanteleurs’ was Henriot’s prestige cuvée?” And you’d be partially right—you may have even bought the 2000 vintage we offered last year. But, as of 2005, Enchanteleurs is no longer, and it will be Cuvée Hemera from here on out. It is still equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from six of Champagne’s 17 Grand Crus. For Pinot Noir: the villages of Mailly, Verzy, and Verzenay in the horseshoe-shaped Montagne de Reims. For Chardonnay: Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, and Chouilly; all within the pure-chalk ridge that is Côte des Blancs. So what’s different? Back at the start of 2006, Henriot hired Laurent Fresnet as their Chef de Cave (cellar master). Today’s offer marks his first prestige cuvée and it is a completely different tasting experience than Enchanteleurs. Henriot’s 2005 Cuvée Hemera closely mirrors their overall ‘house’ style: incredibly fresh and poised Champagnes with perfect ripeness—but with much more age. After a stainless steel fermentation, it was bottled in 2006 and sent to rest in Henriot’s dark, deep, cold cellars for a dozen years. After disgorgement, a modest dosage of 5 grams per liter was added. Again, this is not the mature, slightly oxidative Cuvée des Enchanteleurs of old, but rather an extremely fresh, tension-filled bottle of bright yet opulent Champagne.
Henriot’s 2005 Cuvée Hemera shines a bright, silvery yellow with platinum reflections. It shows impressive vigor in the glass, with tiny, persistent beads racing to the top to form an incredibly fine mousse. This is a perfect tribute to the ripe and lush 2005 vintage, revealing notes of candied lemon peel, white peach, pineapple core, Rainier cherry, fresh cut yellow apples, brioche, fresh cream, toasted hazelnuts, honeysuckle, white flowers, wet stones and finely crushed chalk. It is a full-bodied luxury Champagne that never once loses sight of its energetic core. Cuvée Hemera is svelte, yet rich and intensely layered, with minerality and lush fruits throughout. It finishes long and savory, with a refreshing ripeness that never creates a sense of ‘palate fatigue.’ This is invigorating Grand Cru wine that checks off every descriptor of luxury Champagne. It will last another decade, even two in the right conditions, but certainly open a bottle now and serve at 55 degrees in wide-mouthed tulips or even all-purpose white stems. Match it with the attached chicken thigh dish—the garlic-almond sauce will enrich the meat and give it a satisfying nutty crunch. Cheers!
