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Contemporaries of Henri IV and his descendants, the
Hémart family settled permanently in Aÿ at the beginning of the 17th
century. Their history took root there and became closely interwoven
with the momentous historical events relating to champagne from the 18th
century onwards. At the opening of the 20th century, Léon Giraud,
cuirassier in the battle of the Marne, married a Miss Hémart. He
reconstructed the magnificent family vineyard, which had been ravaged by
phylloxera. To achieve this, he used the latest techniques: the
grafting of vines (vitis vinifera) on the cuttings taken from certain
American vines. Today, the 12th generation of the Giraud-Hémart family,
in the person of Claude Giraud, is in charge of the fortunes of the
family business.
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