Henri Abelé, crafting a new french lifestyle

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Henri Abelé, crafting a new french lifestyle

F Founded in 1757, Henri Abelé is one of the oldest champagne houses in Champagne. It is home to an age-old savoir-faire ; its 250-year-old heritage combined with carefully considered choices, guided by a love of champagne and the very highest standards. This is a champagne house of integrity, one which has always remained true to its convictions, eschewing the fads and fashions that have come and gone in the Champagne region over the years. Henri Abelé made the courageous decision to limit its production, refusing to sacrifice quality for quantity; a conscious choice, allowing the Maison to produce only the very best champagnes and to stay on a human-scale. This principle naturally led to a philosophy which is conscientiously upheld by an ideal: that of fine craftsmanship, characterized by quality and high standards. This quest for excellence can be seen in the way Henri Abelé makes its champagnes. From the non vintage brut to the vintage cuvées prestiges, each champagne is the work of true craftsmanship.

An artisan of time and blending, the Maison Henri Abelé is engaged in a relentless quest for precision. Its methods require time, time to create the personality of its champagnes with infinite patience. They demand disciplined work, every day, without concession. Each generation has built on this approach while preserving these gems of French savoir-faire. Far from being anchored in the past, the Maison Henri Abelé is resolutely forward-looking, having survived the centuries and handed down, through the generations, a unique ability to be enterprising and innovative while respecting tradition. Its methods are perpetuated and constantly perfected - a mindset which was inspired by the personality of the founder. Henri Abelé was a modern entrepreneur who helped shape the future of champagne, yet he was also a lover of tradition, committed to preserving heritage, especially that of the city of Reims which he helped to restore. After the First World War, Henri Abelé was one of the first négociants to return to Reims and finance the rehabilitation of the cathedral, whose most famous restoration was that of the «Smiling Angel» statue, destroyed by fire in 1914. This statue has become the exclusive emblem of the Maison Henri Abelé. This is the reason why maintaining and perpetuating this unique craftsmanship remains a major concern of the Maison Henri Abelé to this day.

UN FINE TRAVAIL CRAFTSMANSHIP D ARTISAN Depuis Since 1757, the la Maison philosophie de Henri la Abelé Maison s Henri philosophy Abelé est has de been travailler that of fine comme un craftsmanship, artisan, avec carried patience et out humilité, with patience, avec le humility goût de and l excellence a dedication et to le excellence, perfectionnement continuously constant honing its du expertise. savoir-faire. Soucieuse Committed de to rendre making chaque every cuvée vintage unique, la the Maison a limits une its production, limitée ce allowing qui lui it permet to carefully de veiller patiemment craft each of à its l élaboration champagnes. de ses champagnes.

The art of collecting terroirs TThe Maison has turned its lack of vineyards into a strength. It is able to freely select and source from the best terroirs. The Maison can be bold, exploring, innovating, and shaping its production as it sees fit, according to its requirements, from among the endless possibilities offered by nature. Henri Abelé has been working in close partnership with artisan-vignerons, chosen for the quality of their work, for over 30 years. These partnerships are formalized by long-term contracts between the Maison Henri Abelé and the most highly regarded growers in the Côte des Blancs and the Grande Montagne de Reims. This important close collaboration contributes to the continuity of the style and excellence of the Henri Abelé champagnes. The art of tailored blending TThe Henri Abelé style can also be observed in the blending of its champagnes. Since the new vathouse was constructed in 2007, the Maison has had a host of small vats allowing it to carry out vinifications, by cru and by terroir, tailored to the evolution of the wine. After this terroir-byterroir vinification, the blending becomes the work of fine craftsmanship endowing the champagnes with their unique character. It is a masterpiece of balance in which each element has its place and upon which the Maison Henri Abelé confers its unique style: like the work of a composer, the creation is perfectly worked and mastered. The art of the long game Achieving the exceptional requires patience! At Henri Abelé, the distinctiveness of its champagne making is the result of late blending at perfect maturity, and very long cellar-ageing - well beyond the minimum ageing period required by the Champagne regulations. Although bottling is legally permitted from January onwards, the Maison Henri Abelé (like a sculptor who shapes his material with humility and precision), continues to patiently shape its blends until April before bottling in June. Henri Abelé then allows its champagnes the years of repose they require to reach perfect maturity, resting in the coolness and tranquility of its ancient chalk cellars, in the very heart of Reims. Its non-vintage champagnes age a minimum of 2 to 3 years before being released for sale. Its cuvées prestiges are usually matured in cellar for 6 to 10 years. This is the moment when the creator has to step back and let nature take its course. Nature alone can bring out the sensuality of the fruit and the desired aromas. This is what makes Henri Abelé champagnes so unique and so precious.

FRANCK NICAISE a cellar master for love of the craft WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO HENRI ABELÉ? After gaining first-rate experience working as an oenologist in Alsace, I ended up returning to my native Champagne in 1998, where I worked as an oenology consultant. I was initially called in as a consultant by the Maison Henri Abelé, but I wanted to be more directly involved in the company for several reasons. Firstly, the company s human scale allows me to participate in the entire creative process: I am involved in all aspects of quality, from the selection of the grapes to the shipping of the bottles, and even beyond that, as I go out and champion our champagnes with importers and consumers around the world. I was also attracted by the fact that production is limited, around 500,000 bottles per year, so the work is more akin to that of a craftsman, for whom quality is the most important factor and who can afford to take his time to achieve excellence. This is a very attractive proposition for a cellar master, and even more so as the company was about to completely renovate its winery, there was no way I could refuse!. WHAT ARE THE MAISON S IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES? These start with the choice of the grapes. We work with 50-60 suppliers, who are mostly récoltants-manipulants. For each cuvée, I select certain terroirs. The higher up the range we go, the more we target the terroirs. For example, for Sourire de Reims Brut, I decided to work with only with the best crus from certain parcels in Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims and only in years when nature gives me exceptional quality. The second principle is to vinify the wines separately, varietal by varietal, terroir by terroir, and then preserve them in the very best conditions, which we are able to do with our large number of small stainless steel vats. Allowing each terroir to express itself to the full is a real strength. Then, from the large number of terroirs vinified separately, I select the parcels that will make up my creation. It s painstaking work, where each piece has to fit into the final composition. Lastly, our style is created by patience. We give the base wines the time they need to develop their full potential, before we taste them individually from December to March to define our blends. At Maison Henri Abelé, we have always blended late, usually in April for bottling in June. DOES THE MAISON HAVE ANY OTHER SPECIFIC FEATURES? One particular characteristic of the company is that it has always been able to take the best of tradition, while applying new techniques and ideas. Henri Abelé has always been bold and innovative in spirit. Innovation has been the byword of many generations: both in terms of the champagnes marketing and the perfecting of the company s technical processes. We are constantly balancing heritage and modernity: for example, we respect the time of the wine, as they did back in the day, when vinification was governed by the seasons, but we use ultra-modern stainless steel vats! Another example Is that we are able to create very audacious champagnes. The Sourire de Reims Rosé is a unique blend, the culmination of a demanding process, from the selection of grapes grown exclusively on the Les Riceys hillside, to the maceration of whole bunches. It is also no accident that we chose to present our Brut 2007 limited edition bottle in a modern, new-look Toile de Jouy design. It s an acknowledgement of the Henri Abelé spirit. We want to convey and share the best that Champagne has to offer, with a contemporary touch.

OUR CHAMPAGNES The Maison produces a comprehensive range of champagnes, from the brut to the cuvées prestiges; in a style that seeks to balance freshness and density, elegance and complexity.

Brut Non Vintage Rosé Non Vintage Made from a selection of the best Champagne crus. Blanc de Blancs Non Vintage Brut Vintage 2006 Brut Vintage 2007 This cuvée is made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, primarily from the Côte des Blancs. The Henri Abelé Blanc de Blancs is aged for three years in its chalk cellars. This cuvée, produced in exceptional years only, is patiently aged in the cool of our ancient cellars. Once matured, we allow it another year s rest after disgorging. Made from Chardonnay grapes from the Côte des Blancs and Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims, this 2007 Brut reveals the full potential of this excellent vintage. With its bottle arrayed in a modern, joyful Toile de Jouy pattern, this limited edition shows how the Maison Henri Abelé is able to combine elegance, tradition and creativity. 40% Chardonnay 35% Pinot Noir 25% Pinot Meunier 40% Pinot Noir 30% Chardonnay 30% Pinot Meunier 100% Chardonnay, mainly from the Côte des Blancs. 70% Chardonnay 30% Pinot Noir 60% Chardonnay 40% Pinot Noir A distinctive pale golden hue with green highlights with remarkably smooth bubbles, floral notes and fruity accents. An extremely elegant and distinguished champagne. A full-bodied champagne which offers all the charm and appeal of a rosé with aromas of flowers and wild fruit. The champagne opens with notes of white flowers, hawthorn and acacia, and then allows the Chardonnay to express itself to the full. The palate shows great finesse and freshness where mineral notes combine to create a very intense and remarkably long-lingering finish. This cuvée is powerful and complex on the nose. Lovely vinosity, combined with spicy notes on the palate, give this champagne subtlety and elegance, which will delight fans of champagnes with a complex character. The champagne opens with peach and apricot aromas joined by spicy notes of gingerbread, honey and liquorice. Fresh on entry to the palate, the Pinot Noir adds complexity along with spicy notes. The discreet dosage preserves the champagne s fresh character. AVAILABLE BOTTLE SIZES Half bottles, bottles, magnums, jeroboams, mathuselahs, salmanazars, balthazars, nebuchadnezzars AVAILABLE BOTTLE SIZES Half bottles, bottles AVAILABLE BOTTLE SIZES 75cl bottles only FAVAILABLE BOTTLE SIZES 75cl bottles and magnums AVAILABLE BOTTLE SIZES 75cl bottles only - limited edition of 5,000 units

Sourire de Reims Vintage 2007 Sourire de Reims Rosé Vintage 2003 To create the Sourire de Reims Brut, the Maison selects the finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir crus from the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims, in exceptional years only. This champagne will then acquire its mature aromas and broad array of flavours during a long sojourn in our ancient cellars. This is a bold cuvée crafted from a single grape variety and a single terroir, the Pinot Noir from Les Riceys, which has undergone very careful vinification. This exceptional cuvée is the result of a short maceration process (36 to 48 hours) which gives it a unique style. The Sourire de Reims is aged for almost ten years in our cellars, followed by six to twelve months further ageing after disgorging. 60% Chardonnay 40% Pinot Noir A blend unique to Henri Abelé: 100% Pinot Noir from Les Riceys Very elegant and fine on the nose, dominated by the Chardonnay. Straightforward and clean on entry to the palate, the Pinot Noir brings complexity, structure and maturity, along with spicy notes of cloves and liquorice. The discreet dosage preserves this cuvée s freshness and exceptionally long-lingering flavours. This unique champagne with a beautiful salmon-pink hue opens with powerful red fruit aromas, gradually giving way to spicy notes. Delicate on entry to the palate, the Pinot Noir comes through beautifully, revealing a powerful, robust and supple champagne. The complex, long-lingering finish completes the balance of this outstanding cuvée, ideal for those very special occasions. AVAILABLE BOTTLE SIZES Bottles and magnums AVAILABLE BOTTLE SIZES 75cl bottles only

HENRI ABELÉ 50 rue de Sillery 51100 Reims - France Tél : +33 (0) 3 26 87 79 80 www.henriabele.com PRESS CONTACT: AGENCE ALBINE & CO Charlotte Walter & Anne-Sophie Bailly c.walter@albineco.com / as.bailly@albineco.com 01 58 18 35 25