2005 Henriot Cuvee Hemera
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Tasting notes
The previous release. From a difficult year that yielded massive wines but with a certain freshness. Warm and dry then lots of weather events in the same year. Disgorged 2018. Some maturity on the nose. Big and bold and quite meaty and powerful. Dry finish. Solid palate. A bit like opulent, unsweetened lime juice with a little bitterness on the end. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Tim Jackson MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Buttered brioche and dried apple, fine mousse, delicate spiciness and a flinty, savoury mid palate. Long and spicy. (TJ)
The inaugural release of the new tête de cuvée from Henriot, the 2005 Cuvée Hemera is a blend of equal parts Chardonnay (from Chouilly, Avize and Mesnil-sur-Oger) and Pinot Noir (from Mailly, Verzy and Vezernay) that was aged for 12 years sur lattes and disgorged with five grams per liter dosage. The wine is still quite tight-knit after its recent disgorgement, unwinding in the glass with a refined bouquet of ripe citrus fruit, crisp yellow apple, lemon confit and freshly baked bread. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, bright and concentrated, with a layered, tight-knit core, racy acids and a precise, chalky finish. It's a very creditable effort in the challenging 2005 vintage—and a Champagne that I admired for its depth and precision—so it will be interesting to taste future releases from more propitious years.
Made only in exceptional years. Blend of 50% Chardonnay grands crus from Côtes des Blancs, Chouilly, Avize, and Mesnil-sur-Oger, and 50% Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims, Mailly Champagne, Verzy and Verzenay. 12 years on lees. Hemera is the goddess of light. Oak? No, I'm told, but apparently because of Mesnil-sur-Oger it’s not that fruity. Quite rich and ambitious. (JR)