2013 Henriot Cuvee Hemera Brut Champagne 6pk 6x750ml

Champagne Henriot was founded in 1808 by Apolline Henriot, a widow and vinegrower whose Grand Cru Pinot Noir holdings in Verzy, Verzenay, and Mailly-Champagne formed the House's original foundation. In 1880, the marriage of Paul Henriot to Marie Marguet brought three Chardonnay Grand Cru villages into the family — Chouilly, Avize, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger — uniting the two greatest terroirs of Champagne under one name. These six founding Grand Crus remain the DNA of the House today.

Cuvee Hemera is the prestige expression of that alliance: an equal-parts blend from all six founding villages, aged at least ten years on lees, 100% Grand Cru fruit. The 2013 vintage — one of the coldest and wettest on record — was saved by a dry, sunny summer and a late October harvest that delivered substance rich in freshness, tension, and nerve. The result is a Champagne of precision, detail, and lace, built to cellar and evolve.

Under cellar master Laurent Fresnet — named Sparkling Winemaker of the Year by International Wine Challenge in 2015 and 2016 — the wine shows a wonderfully expressive nose of sourdough, acacia, citrus peel, apricots, and honeycomb. The palate balances Chardonnay's bright lemon and green apple acidity with Pinot Noir's red-berry depth and a creamy, velvety mousse. The finish is long, mineral, and laced with toasted almond.

This is Champagne with enough structure to hold a decade more, and enough elegance to pour tonight. James Suckling scored it 96 points. We secured a six-pack allocation. Pour it at the table that matters.