2006 Henriot Brut Cuvée Hemera
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It’s only the second release of this wine, which replaced Enchanteleurs – a cuvée that had a serious following amongst Champagne fans. The Hemera is a blend of 50% Grand Cru Pinot Noir sourced entirely from the cooler north-facing villages of Mailly, Verzy and Verzenay in the Montagne de Reims and 50% Grand Cru Chardonnay sourced from Chouilly, Avize and Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs. The Pinot Noir brings refined structure and richness, while the finest Chardonnay in Champagne brings focus and finesse. Tasting the wine, it is clear this is a very special Champagne. The integration and textural finesse is superb; the aromas and palate deep and complex, expressing both a detailed level of fruit and wonderful tertiary flavours. From the sunny 2006 vintage, it’s drinking beautifully now, although feels fresh and youthful in comparison to other 2006s, suggesting a long future too. The 2006 Cuvée Hemera has an impressively complex nose – both deep and expressive with undertones of caramel, sweet pastry and baked apple. Swirling the glass reveals more lifted mandarin, grapefruit, white flowers and light, peppery notes. It really is enticing. There’s great fruit clarity on the palate, distinct fresh red apple with mouth-watering freshness. The acidity is notably well integrated with the fruit, no doubt from the 12 years spent on lees, adding a silky textural quality. It’s voluminous and concentrated, without feeling heavy, a flash of salinity on the finish really adding lift. This is delicate, elegant and energised Champagne with fantastic balance and length.
Punteggi della critica
Jancis Robinson MW
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
Altre recensioni e punteggi
The current release. From a difficult year that was sunny but humid; produced rich musts but more detailed than the 2005s in general. From the initial disgorgement at the end of 2019. Delicate and subtle. So different from the 2005 – really dances! Nicely integrated. A racy, positively prancing wine. (JR)
Aged 12 years on lees. 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. Distinctly musty nose, there is clearly lots of age and oxidation to the fruit here. Very persistent and grand. Clearly from top-quality raw material, although there is something almost overwhelming about the power and that mature, mushroomy character. For lovers of old champagne – the umami army? – this is a treat. I'd drink it soon. (RH)
Full bottle 1,925 g. A cuvée first created by Henriot in 1889, although it went by a different name back then. It's a tribute to the founding crus of the house: three grand cru Pinot Noir vineyards in Montagne de Reims (Verzy, Verzenay and Mailly-Champagne) and three grand cru Chardonnay vineyards in the Côtes des Blancs (Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Chouilly). The blend always contains an equal proportion of each cru and is always a vintage champagne. 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. Minimum 12 years sur lattes. Dosage 5 g/l. Disgorged in 2020 and kept more than one year in bottle before release. The name changed to Cuvée Hemera (named after the goddess of light) with the 2005 vintage. Previously it was known as Cuvée Baccarat and then Cuvée des Enchanteleurs. Check the weight of that bottle! Very complex nose. Bready and floral, linden and candied lemon peel, hint of peach. Vanilla, lemon curd. Then broad, deep-chested furl of flavours and a power that I can almost feel inside my ribcage like the vibration of a bass speaker, that reminds me of diving under a huge wave in the ocean and hearing the water roil and break above you. Lanolin, beeswax pressed with bitter lemon oils, samphire and pomelo, crushed smoke and a curling wraith of tiny white flowers. Thrilling wine. (TC)