Average rating 4.9/5 stars across all Google and external reviews
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Bought directly from Charles Heidsieck's UK agent Liberty Wines, the bottles are stored in bond at London City Bond Eton Park, in ideal conditions at a constant 13°C. For same-day deliveries, small quantities are kept in our office cellar, where the temperature is maintained between 11–13°C. We source all our bottles directly from the Maison or their official UK office, eliminating the risk of poor storage. This is crucial, as champagne quality is highly sensitive to heat: temperatures above 18°C accelerate maturity significantly, which compromises quality.
Bottles Available:
1 × 75cl today - 25 from 15th Oct We keep some stock in our London Warehouse. Large volumes take 24 hours from our out of London warehouse.
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. This is the 10th release of Blanc des Millenaires since the first release of the 1983 vintage.
Charles Heidsieck's prestige cuvée is a blend of pure Chardonnay from just five different Crus: Avize for verve and minerality; Cramant for complexity and ageability; Le Mesnil-sur-Oger for balance & freshness; Oger for creaminess and weight; and Vertus for floral freshness. An absolute masterpiece from the Côte des Blancs, this cuvée spends eight years maturing in the heart of Charles Heidsieck's two-thousand-year-old chalk cellars. This is unusual as three winemakers all contributed to the finished champagnes; Thierry Roset was the winemaker who made the base wines and saw them through their 1st fermentation in stainless steel. His unexpected death after harvest resulted in Cyril Brun taking over the Chef de Cave role, he blended the wines in spring 2018 and disgorged by Emilien Erard choosing the Liqueur d'Expedition and dosage in July 2025.
Weather: The year 2017 opened with a dry winter and an important spring frost, before regaining balance thanks to a mild spring that fostered excellent flowering conditions, particularly in the Côte des Blancs. Summer alternated between freshness and rain showers, requiring heightened vigilance until harvest time. Some villages, such as Cramant, were severely affected by heavy rainfall and a violent late-summer hailstorm. By contrast, Chouilly was spared and benefited from gentler conditions, yielding remarkable Chardonnays and enabling the crafting of fresh, luminous wines. This exceptional context accounts for Chouilly replacing Cramant for the first time since 1983. A contrasting year, yet one that ultimately showcased the strengths of the Côte des Blancs, unveiling a blend of great purity for Blanc des Millénaires 2017.
This is the first vintage to include Chouilly in the blend, in spring of 2017 Cramant was hit heavily by frost and so unavailable as a blending component. To help explain the village variation: Cramant is more steep slopes vs Chouilly giving more sunlight to most Chouilly plots and Cramant is hence more tense where as Chouilly more texturally round.
Technical Information:
Vineyards: Grand Cru | 32% Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, 8% Chouilly, & 20% each of Avize, Oger & Vertus
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Lees Ageing: 7 years
Disgorged: July 2025
Dosage: 9 g/l
Cork: Mytik Diam Technological
Drink: Now to 10 Years +
This is the third vintage of BdM in the new longer neck bottle and we would expect that to add to the bottles "reductive properties" potentially extending its ageing ability. The 2017 vintage is the tenth following 1983, 1985, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2014.
Tasting Note: On the nose, the first impression is pastry-like and creamy, unveiling notes of toasted brioche, butter and shortcrust pastry, lending an elegant indulgence. It gradually opens up to hints of fresh and roasted hazelnut, flaked almond, Bourdaloue tart, and finally to floral nuances such as violet and dried white flowers. On the palate, the texture is silky and creamy, evoking the delicacy of lace. The opening is refreshing and elegant. The remarkable length on the palate is carried by a touch of salinity and a chalky minerality, characteristic of the great Chardonnays of the Côte des Blancs.
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 1976 the hugely under-forming Charles business was bought by Joseph Henriot of Champagne Henriot, the same year he installed his chef de cave, Daniel Thibault who within three years had created Champagne Charlie with in inaugural 1979 vintage, followed by 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1985. For nine years Charles Heidseick thrived again, however, in 1985 Rémy Cointreau, purchased Charles and during the next 25 years the focus was shifted away from prestige cuvee champagne because Krug was also in the same ownership. It took until 2011 before Charles was again loved, when Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck were bought by Christopher Descours of EPI Group. His vision saw investment for growth in vineyard holdings, grape purchasing and production. After decades of decline the brands are again growing with quality now back at the top of their agenda. Today, the wines are made alongside sister company Piper-Heidsieck in an ultra-modern wine-making facility on the 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: Emilien Erard
Winery Location: Reims | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Montagne de Reims
Annual Production (bottles): 1,800,000
Chef de Cave History at Champagne Charles Heidsieck:
Emilien Erard - 1st July 2025 to current
Emilien Erard is an accomplished oenologist with a deep-rooted passion for Champagne. A key figure within the EPI group since 2018, he joined as head of tank room in the joint Charles & Piper winery. In 2022, he was appointed to manage the wineries own vineyards and Vineyard Relations Manager to over see their many grape growers. Emilien’s career also includes significant experience at Champagne Ayala and Palmer & Co
Elise Losfelt - March 2023 to June 2025
Arriving in March 2023, Elise Losfelt had joined the house of Charles Heidsieck in Reims after more than ten years at Moet and Chandon, alongside Benoît Gouez. Her appointment marked an important milestone in the history of Charles Heidsieck, following the departure of Cyril Brun, who she worked alongside on the 2022 wines to ensure a smooth transition in the house style. After the tragic loss of her husband in 2024 Elise has decided to move back closer to her family in the south of France and joins the family winery in Montpellier in summer 2025.
Cyril Brun - April 2015 to April 2023
Cyril re-engineered & re-launched Champagne Charlie some 37 years after its initial launch and shifted the blend of Brut Reserve to using a touch of oak which allowed CH to continue with its growth plans. In 2023 Cyril moved to Trentino in Italy taking over as chef de cave at Ferrari Trento
Thierry Roset - 2011 to 2014
Recruited by Daniel Thibault in 1988 as his deputy and in 2003 after Daniel passed away he became a full time member of Regis's winemaking team leading to him creating the “new Charles style” from 2007. His last "big task" was to oversee the smooth transition in winemaking when ownership shifted from Remy Cointreau to the EPI Group. Previously he had also worked for both Moet & Chandon and Louis Roederer. He died suddenly on 5th October 2014.
Regis Camus - Chef de Cave 2002 to 2011
Regis began at Charles Heidsieck in 1995 where he was assistant to Daniel Thibault and won 8-times "Sparkling Winemaker of the Year" 2004, 2007-2013 International Wine Challenge. After Daniel died in 2002 Regis was promoted to manage all the winemaking team for all three brands; Piper, Rare and Charles. From 2013 Regis focussed his time on Champagne Piper-Heidsieck and Rare.
Daniel Thibault - 1975 to 2002
Daniel came to Charles Heidseick when Joseph Henriot of Champagne Henriot purchased it in 1976. He was chef de cave at Henriot until Joseph brought him across to Charles Heidsieck shortly after buying the Maison. He set hard to work because within three years he had created Champagne Charlie with the inaugural 1979 vintage followed by 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1985. He also created the Blanc de Millenaires Blanc de Blanc prestige cuvee with the first release of 1983. By mid 1980's he created the "mis en cave" labelling concept & introduced 40% reserve wines as being "a new average!" Much of what we see today with Collection Crayeres, the recent releases of old vintages of the 80's and 90's give us a glimpse into the genius of this man; champagnes that are gorgeous four to five decades after the harvest. Daniel passed away from cancer in 2002.
Expert Reviews
18.5+/20
Nick Baker TFB Founder
“The 2017 harvest was super challenging for red grapes, yet for Chardonnay when I tasted them as vins clairs in spring 2018 surprised by the abundance of fruit, hints of tropical, freshness from acidity and great purity. BdM 2017 I tasted in Lehmann Synergy 60cl and it really brought forward the recent disgorgement; bundles of citrus, ripe lemon, grapefruit and hints of lychee all wrapped around a pronounced chalky core. The palate brings more citrus forward, some pithy grapefruit and hints of fresh pineapple. No shortage of freshness and a bundle of salinity give this a great finish. Super long flavours showing well for a champagne 7 months post disgorgement. FYI: 30% of the grapes are from Mesnil-sur-Oger and just over 20% from Vertus, which helps explain the mineral core of Mesnil and richness from Vertus.” Drinks well now, will benefit from at least 5 years ageing.”
95/100
Kristaps Karklins
“Anchored in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Vertus and complemented by fruit from Avize, Oger and Chouilly, the 2017 Blanc de Blancs Blanc des Millénaires—disgorged in July 2025 with a dosage of nine grams per liter—has turned out very well. It wafts from the glass with aromas of orange oil, dried flowers and roasted cacao bean, mingled with nuances of Sichuan pepper and a top note of burnt buttered toast. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, ample and textural, with a deep core of fruit and vibrant acidity that carries through a long, chalky finish. Darker and more brooding than its predecessor, it is also slightly more structured and promises to deliver considerable pleasure right out of the gate. In a vintage that, to put it mildly, did not make life easy in the vineyards, this represents a notable success.”
Ever wondered what makes a good vintage and which years were the best in Champagne? This is the Champagne Vintage Guide, their overall ratings according to Essi Avellan MW and the best releases of the Vintage year.
Charles Heidsieck Champagne is celebrating the art of outdoor dining and its exquisite Blanc de Blancs champagne with an exclusive luxury picnic hamper
"The wines in 2018 were good overall. Some were exceptional... some over-mature." Charles Heidsieck Chef de Cave, Cyril Brun, was slightly more cautious than other winemakers regarding the potential of 2018. We tasted a range of vins clairs and reserve wines with the always engaging winemaker at the cellars in Reims.
A 'Champagne Charlie' in another life himself, wine journalist David Kermode attended our Charles Heidsieck Dinner and Tasting at Frederick's last week to sample a range of new and old vintages from this reformed house. Read his report for The Buyer here.
This week, Director of Charles Heidsieck Stephen Leroux hosted our Charles Heidsieck Dinner and Tasting at Frederick's, Islington. With an expertly paired champagne/food menu and a rare magnum of Brut Millésime 1983 to taste, it was a night to remember.
We met with Charles Heidsieck Cellar Master Cyril Brun at the newly renovated tasting facility in Reims. An incredible tasting included a Blanc des Millénaires vertical and a preview of the new 'Collection Crayères', dating back to 1981.
