Of the three Champagne houses named Heidsieck - all originating from families once related - Charles is the smallest and arguably, the best. Established in 1851 by the nephew of Piper-Heidsieck's owner, Charles Heidsieck himself was the original 'Champagne Charlie'. In 2011 both Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck were bought by EPI Group headed by Christopher Descours, he has provided significant finance for both Houses allowing them to grow their vineyard holdings, grape purchasing and production. Today, production occurs alongside sister company Piper-Heidsieck in an ultra-modern functional wine-making facility on the southern outskirts of Reims. The Charles Heidsieck Cellars are a Unesco World Heritage site and comprise more than eight kilometres of chalk tunnels interlinking forty seven subterranean cathedrals called Crayères, reaching 30 metres high and believed to have been dug out in the 3rd century.

Charles Heidsieck's prestige cuvée is a blend of pure Chardonnay from just five different Crus: Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, and Vertus. An absolute masterpiece from the Côte des Blancs, this cuvée spends more than fifteen years maturing in the heart of Charles Heidsieck's two-thousand-year-old chalk cellars. Such an outstanding creation deserves an exceptional case: the gift box, which mirrors the curves of the crayères cellars after which it is named (Blanc des Millénaires, or 'White of Millenia'), echoes the nobility of this location where nothing counts except time itself.

Weather: The 2006 vintage was a year of mixed weather. It began with a rainy spell and late spring, but with little or no frost in the vineyards. Early summer was positive, with the months of June and July creating perfect conditions for flowering. Although there were some storms in late-July, the overall health of the vines was great since the weather remained hot through to the harvest with spells of rain in August promoting even healthier grapes.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: Grand Cru | Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger & 1er Cru Vertus
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Ageing: 11 years on the lees
Disgorged: February 2019
Dosage: 9 g/l
Cork: Mytik Diam Technological
Drink: Now to 2030

Tasting Note: Essi Avellan MW 94-96/100 - September 2020
The sixth creation of Blanc des Millénaires combines fruit from four grand cru villages (Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant and Avize) with Chardoonnay from the premier cru of Vertus. True to the sunny and warm year 2006, the wine comes with deep golden hued colour already upon launch. The nose is distinctly tropical with Charles Heidsieck’s hallmark toastiness emerging quickly in the glass. Beautiful coffee tones alongside candied lemon, baked pineapple and complex floral tones. The fruitiness is laudably clean and bright. The palate is round but soon after the initial feeling of richness, the wine’s minerality and high acidity kick in. The finish turns out to be long, pure and seemingly dry. An instantly open and generous Blanc des Millénaires with more complexity arising over time.

Of the three Champagne houses named Heidsieck - all originating from families once related - Charles is the smallest and arguably, the best. Established in 1851 by the nephew of Piper-Heidsieck's owner, Charles Heidsieck himself was the original 'Champagne Charlie'. He gained the nickname during his travels around America in the mid-19th Century - a country whose introduction to Champagne is credited to Charles. In 2011 both Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck were bought by EPI Group headed by Christopher Descours, he has provided significant finance for both Houses allowing them to grow their vineyard holdings, grape purchasing and production. The brands are now growing their sales quite fast after many decades of decline. Today, production occurs alongside sister company Piper-Heidsieck in an ultra-modern functional wine-making facility on the southern outskirts of Reims.

Charles Heidsieck champagnes have a rich history of being served at various infamous events; it was the chosen Champagne of the European royalty in the late 1800s; a photograph from Robert Falcon Scott's fated expedition to Antarctica shows the party drinking Charles Heidsieck at their Christmas dinner; in 1977 the house produced a special vintage for the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and in 1981 a 'Royal Wedding Cuvée' was served to celebrate the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Cellar Master: Cyril Brun
Winery Location: Reims | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Montagne de Reims
Annual Production (bottles): 1,800,000

Suitable for Vegans - no animal derivatives are used in the making of Charles Heidsieck Champagnes.