History
François Hémart entered the Aÿ parish register in spring 1625. Léon Giraud married Madeleine Hémart in June 1918, the year their son Henri was born. They acquired 71 boulevard Sadi-Carnot, later renamed boulevard Charles-de-Gaulle. Léon rebuilt and expanded the vineyard to nearly three hectares while working for the railway.
Henri returned in 1945 and began making champagne with his father under the Giraud-Hémart name. A manual Daquin press holding 1,500 kg was installed in 1948. Claude Giraud, representing the twelfth generation, subsequently expanded holdings in Aÿ and Louvois and developed Argonne-oak vinification.
The first Fût de Chêne Aÿ Grand Cru used the 1990 harvest. Its 10,000 bottles entered the cellar on 1 September 1991. The modern MV version identifies a Multi-Vintage blend: two-thirds from the indicated year and one-third from a perpetual reserve begun in 1990.
The producer’s technical sheet gives 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay for MV, with a year in oak barrels, half of them new, and at least four years on lees. Argonne is the separate vintage cuvée. The hand-set metal agrafe remains a visible feature of the Fût de Chêne presentation.
The nineteenth-century Manoir stands at 83 boulevard Charles-de-Gaulle, separate from the champagne estate at number 71. It now contains five accommodation units, while two treatment rooms occupy its cellar. The Champagne Houses association identifies Emmanuelle Giraud-Patour as president, Claude as honorary president and Sébastien Le Golvet as managing director and cellar master.
The regional park’s 2021–2026 project contract records an experiment involving Henri Giraud, the Office National des Forêts and the Tonnellerie de Champagne. It studies stave wood from named forest plots at Hautvillers and Verzy under a renewable three-year agreement. That documented collaboration gives the house’s use of oak a specific institutional and geographical history.
The 1990 Fût de Chêne Aÿ Grand Cru became the first international release.
Three private experiences in Aÿ
The Montagne de Reims regional park’s official visitor directory lists Initiation Henri Giraud at €115 per person, or €230 for two, for parties of two to twelve. It lasts up to ninety minutes: welcome at the boutique, an estate tour and four Henri Giraud cuvées with a bite to eat. Price and programme checked October 2026; reserve the named private appointment directly with Henri Giraud’s visitor team before arranging the arrival.
L’Atelier Terroir lasts up to ninety minutes for two to ten people, with a listed price from €195 per person. It combines the estate tour with Aÿ Grand Cru soils, vins clairs made in different woods and the MV cuvée. Table Expérience lasts up to three hours, combining a winery visit and the chef’s food-and-wine pairings: €290 per person or €580 for two, for two to twelve. The directory requests booking seven days ahead for lunch or dinner. Details checked October 2026.
The same official directory describes all tours as private, with reception by appointment Monday–Sunday lunchtime and French and English spoken. The advertised Monday–Sunday lunchtime provision is for advance private appointments; it does not establish an unrestricted walk-in cellar timetable. Request the Henri Giraud experience and obtain the final date, start time, language and payment conditions from the team.
71 and 83 boulevard Charles-de-Gaulle
The champagne estate’s telephone is +33 3 26 55 18 55 at 71 boulevard Charles-de-Gaulle, 51160 Aÿ. The Champagne Houses association also lists contact@champagne-giraud.com. The Manoir reception has a separate telephone, +33 3 26 55 75 85, at 83 boulevard Charles-de-Gaulle. The local tourist office gives contact@manoirhenrigiraud.com for accommodation requests. Use the address on your confirmation for arrival.
The Manoir’s enquiry form asks for name, mailing address, city, postcode, telephone and email. It explicitly says sending the form does not constitute a booking: the reservation is confirmed only once the booking process is completed. Room bookings have a separate Reservit link. A room enquiry and a private tasting request therefore need their respective confirmations, even when arranged together.
Fût de Chêne MV: the documented blend
The producer’s technical sheet for Fût de Chêne MV identifies 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay. Two-thirds of the blend comes from the indicated harvest year and one-third from a perpetual reserve begun in 1990. Vinification and ageing take place in oak barrels for a year, half of them new, followed by at least four years on lees. The hand-set metal agrafe is a visible feature of this cuvée. The Champagne Houses association names Emmanuelle Giraud-Patour as current president, Claude Giraud as honorary president, and Sébastien Le Golvet as both managing director and cellar master.
Argonne is the separate vintage cuvée, while MV denotes Multi-Vintage. The Champagne Houses association’s range entry also lists MV Rosé, Esprit Nature, Hommage au Pinot Noir, Blanc de Craie and Dame-Jane. Its still-wine section includes red and white Coteaux Champenois, and its Ratafia section lists Solera and Vieillissement Exceptionnel. The Initiation listing promises four cuvées without naming the bottles; none of these labels is guaranteed as a pour here.
A forest partnership recorded by the regional park
The Montagne de Reims regional park’s 2021–2026 project contract records a three-party agreement between Henri Giraud, the Office National des Forêts and the Tonnellerie de Champagne. The work studies the organoleptic qualities of stave wood from named national-forest plots in Hautvillers and Verzy. The experiment was set for three years, renewable. This supplies a documented forestry link beyond the Argonne cuvée name.
The Terroir Workshop’s vins clairs are the still base wines tasted before the second fermentation creates Champagne’s bubbles. The official programme compares wines made in different woods, then serves the MV cuvée. Its inclusion of Aÿ soils and base wines makes this a different product from the four-finished-cuvée Initiation. Both experiences have a ninety-minute maximum. The Terroir Workshop is published for up to ten guests; Initiation permits a group of up to twelve.
The nineteenth-century Manoir and its five rooms
The Champagne Houses association describes the Manoir as a restored nineteenth-century residence. Its cellar contains two treatment rooms for chalk or clay baths, body wraps, heated tables and grapeseed-oil massages. The programme is marketed as Craÿothérapie. These are spa treatments; no medical benefit is asserted here. The accommodation and estate tour share the Henri Giraud name but have separate reception numbers.
The Manoir’s current room page lists a ground-floor Junior Suite and Large Room overlooking the garden, a first-floor Golden Suite Terrace, a first-floor Large Room Terrace overlooking garden and vines, and a Duplex Room overlooking the vineyard. The local tourist office records five rooms with a total maximum capacity of eleven. Its property entry lists a garden, courtyard, private bathrooms and enclosed parking.
The published equipment lists include air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a safe, kitchenette, microwave, refrigerator, coffee machine and tea selection. Bathrooms have a shower and bath, with robes and Lalique toiletries. The detailed older room descriptions identify four two-person units and a three-person duplex. The current main room page uses Junior Suite and terrace category labels, so book the named category and its stated occupancy through the Manoir’s direct accommodation reservation.
Bain de Terroir and accessibility enquiries
The residential Bain de Terroir programme names three elements: The Initiation private estate tour with a commented tasting, Table Expérience food-and-wine pairings, and Craÿothérapie baths or wraps. The official page does not publish one fixed all-inclusive price or an identical daily schedule for every room. Ask reception which elements are included in the quoted stay and which require separate appointments.
Aÿ food and the next stop
L’Atelier by Patrick Baillet at 6 place Henri-Martin is listed for chocolate, pastries, a tea room and food to eat in or take away, with a twenty-four-seat terrace. Call +33 3 26 55 44 26. Pressoria, at 11 boulevard Pierre-Cheval, occupies Pommery’s former press house and opened as a sensory Champagne interpretation centre in 2021. The Aÿ guide maps the village visit; the access guide separates confirmed facilities from routes needing a direct enquiry.
Access and facilities
The room equipment page labels Golden Suite 1 as potentially suitable for guests with reduced mobility. That limited wording does not certify the winery, dining room or cellar treatment rooms as fully step-free. The park directory records an accessibility flag without dimensions. Send the Manoir your required doorway clearance, bathroom layout and transfer needs, and request confirmation for each booked space.
Henri Giraud’s Aÿ estate offers private visits by appointment, including a ninety-minute Initiation with four cuvées. Its main address is 71 boulevard Charles-de-Gaulle; the residential Manoir is at number 83. The family’s documented Aÿ history reaches back to 1625.
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