Charles HeidsieckReims

Producer profile
PL Founded in 1851 by the "charismatic 'Champagne Charlie,' who traveled widely selling his wines, notably making several colorful trips to the United States." The late chef de cave described the house style as "relaxed elegance and plushness encased within a sophisticated frame." Charles Heidsieck shares the winemaking facilities, vineyards, and grape purchases with Piper-Heidsieck, although they remain separate brands with two separate chefs de cave. "Charles Heidsieck's sophisticated and complex Brut Réserve is one of the finest nonvintage champagnes on the market, and a masterpiece of blending. It's also a tremendous value considering that 40% of its blend is composed of reserve wines averaging about 10 years of age. All of Charles Heidsieck's champagnes are worth pursuing, but particularly compelling is the Blanc des Millénaires, a blanc de blancs prestige cuvée blended from Cramant, Avize, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Vertus. Rich in texture and finely detailed, it's aged for a remarkably long time on its lees, giving it a polished finesse." TyS 10/10 "the house has been privileged to a lineage of particularly dynamic and remarkably talented chefs de cave since 1976." House style is "deep, autumnal complexity, juxtaposed with vibrant energy and astonishing poise." Régis Camus, who oversees winemaking for both Heidsieck brands, "likens the mood of Charles Heidsieck wines to late summer and eary autumn, describing its floral spectrum in tones of aromatic flowers, dried flowers and leaves. 'Charles is about generosity and fleshy expression of late summer fruits, like biting into a peach and having the juice run down your face. It evokes dates, cream and a toasty register of warm brioche just out of the oven, or a crusty Parisian baguette.' This is a contemplative, mature, darker champagne style." The house sales suffered significantly in the recent times due to corporate peripeteia, to the point that Brut Réserve was ageing for 7-8 years on the lees because of the backlog. The brand was relaunched in 2012, looking to increase distribution in the coming years. Future direction includes reducing the ageing time for Brut Réserve to 4 years to produce "a fresher style" "without destroying the fleshy and opulent style." The high proportion of reserves will remain and oak barrels will be introduced "to add complexity, spice, and texture." The average age of the reserve wines for Brut Réserve is "incredible 10 years - monumental figures for a blend comprising a high 40% of reserves." Dedication to the quality of reserves is such that no vintage wines were made in the good years 2002, 2004, 2015, and 2016. Most of the fruit is purchased from over 400 growers. Dosage of 10g across the range is higher than most but fits well with the house's practice of prolonged ageing. ToS 97 "value", "extraordinarily high quality". House style is "rich, aged, impressive, toasty Champagne. "Brut Réserve is "stunning", "spectacularly rich and complex with a distinct hint of vanilla", even though it's fermented exclusively in stainless steel. It's "the best-value Champagne on the market and should be lifted to the height it deserves."

Tasting notes

Brut Réserve. 2014 base, disgorged sometime in 2018. Handsome bottle with a narrow neck, textured dove-gray label, and raised silver letters. Impatient cork popped out with a small spill. Charles Camille Heidsieck's portrait on the plaque de muselet. Fairly detailed back label for a maison brut. Saturated yellow with festive ebullience. Scent associations with cider and bruised fermented fallen apples. Higher in tone overall compared to Bollinger Special Cuvée. A touch alcoholic. Not especially memorable somehow and that is surprising given the high praise from the critics. Warrants a retaste and is a good value anyway. Purchased at Gordon's in autumn 2020 for $42. ⭐