Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve NV

£39.95

£42.95

Per Bottle
£46.95

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Description & Technical Information

Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve NV contains a blend of 40% reserve wines (with an average age of ten years) and spends a minimum of three years ageing on the lees: twice the length required for a non-vintage. To achieve the depth and complexity of the House style, Charles Heidsieck then age their non-vintage for a further three years after disgorgement, again much longer than the legal requirement of just fifteen months. Chef de Cave, Cyril Brut sees the reserve wines used in the blending in two categories. 5-10 years old are 'vin medicines' - 'doctor wines', added to the blend, they affect the acidity, whilst the older reserve wines, 10-20 years old are 'vins d'épices' - 'spice wines' added for complexity and intensity. It is this large proportion of mature reserve wines and the extra ageing process that makes Brut Réserve NV one of the world's best non-vintage champagnes - often compared in quality to the prestige cuvées of other producers.

We are currently selling Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve NV based on 2010, so 60% of the assemblage is from 2010 and the other 40% is a blend of reserves wines from older vintages.

Wine Competition Trophies:
The Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships 2016 - World Champion Classic Non-Vintage Brut Blend

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand & Premier Cru | 60 Crus | Chardonnay: Oger | Pinot Noir: Ambonnay | Pinot Meunier: Verneuil
Grape Varieties: 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier
Base Vintage: 2010
Reserve Wine: 40%
Ageing: 6 years on the lees
Disgorged: 2016
Dosage: 10 g/l
Cork: Mytik Diam Technological
Drink: Now to 2030

Tasting Note: Pale gold with fine and persistent bubbles, this has wonderfully complex aromas of ripe apricot and almond. On the palate it's extremely creamy, rich and fresh and also surprisingly nutty - likely a consequence of the age and high percentage of reserve wines. This is without doubt one of the best non-vintages around.

Champagne Charles Heidsieck Overview

Expert Reviews

17/20

Jancis Robinson MW

“2010 base. Disgorged March 2017, to be released at the end of 2017. No 2009 base was made so they jumped to a 2010 base.
Extremely powerful nose powers out of the glass! A certain sweet creaminess on the nose. Really quite rich. Very much more rounded and welcoming than the blend based on 2008. Not that many houses have a seven-year-old NV on the market! Real bullseye for the Charles style. Tastes readier than the 2008 base – a real standout.
Drink 2017-2022”

89/100

Stephan Reinhardt

“Blended with a high percentage of matured reserve wines, this NV Brut Reserve is based on 2008 and was disgorged in 2014. Clear and complex on the nose, this is a round and elegant, highly finesse-full and lifted cuvée with a silky texture ,and delicate nougat and herbal flavors. The minty finish reveals a remarkably good structure.”

93/100

Essi Avellan MW

“Age-complexed, plentiful coffee and cream, vanilla-laden super toasty nose with dried fruit sweetness. Yeasty fullness charms on the mellow, complex and concentrated palate. Velvety without losing its vitality. Blockbuster style with immaculate freshness and seamlessness. Beautiful. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser and many-fold award-winner - Gold at the 2014 CSWWC.”

93/100

Tom Cannavan

“For the fourth year myself and my colleagues presented our Ultimate Champagne Evening that truly was an embarrassment of riches with magnificent wines like the Krug Grand Cuvée, the Cristal 1995 and the Dom Pérignon P2-1998 just brilliant. But as each costs £100 or considerably more, I've plumped for my value for money star of the evening: with up to 40% of old reserve wines, the nose is mature and nutty, with so much toasty brioche richness and a fat, ripe nectarine fruit too, but then the palate shimmers with elegant and delightful acid balance. A great Champagne.”

93/100

Alison Napjus

“A rich and toasty style that’s framed by vivid acidity, this shows lovely integration and an expressive palate of coffee liqueur, baked peach and roasted hazelnut.”

93/100

Alison Napjus

“Rich and creamy, this harmonious Champagne is expressive, with brioche, crystallized honey, black currant and toasted marshmallow flavours, accented by hints of verbena, baked peach and chopped nut. Vibrant and focused through to the lasting, saline tinged finish.”

88/100

Richard Juhlin

“From a hundred or so villages and 40% reserve wines Daniel Thibault makes one of the very best non-vintage champagnes produced by a large house. With a couple of years extra storage in the bottle it develops a high-class nose of toasted bread and a long complex fruitiness with a smooth aftertaste of toffee.”

91/100

Josh Reynolds

“Light, bright orange. Intensely perfumed scents of raspberry, orange zest, white flowers and chalky minerals. Juicy and precise in the mouth, offering vibrant red berry and blood orange flavors and a complicating hint of brioche. The floral quality comes back strong on the very long, incisive finish, which features a subtle anise quality and smoky minerality.”

17.5/20

Jancis Robinson MW

“Complex nose and very well balanced palate. Seems definitely ready.”

93/100

Roger Voss

“Fresh and fruity while also rich and full in the mouth, this is a superbly balanced nonvintage selection. It is not quite dry with its apple and citrus fruits both given some softness. Disgorged in 2012, it already has two years bottle age that has rounded out the wine.”

90/100

Gilbert & Gaillard

“Beautiful light gold. Endearing nose intermixing fruity, brioche and biscuit notes. Fleshy, full and melted palate showing lovely refined bubbles and freshness. Closely-integrated and harmonious. A nicely crafted dry Champagne.”

86/100

Antonio Galloni

“A fresh, floral wine with attractive pear and apple fruit, and an accessible personality”

See All Reviews

Awards

News Articles

The Importance of Base Year in Non-Vintage Champagne

August 22, 2018
Non-vintage champagnes are a blend of multiple vintages. However, with 60-90% of the blend coming from a single vintage, or base year, the final blend inevitably displays subtle characteristics of that vintage. Just how much influence does base year have on non-vintage?
Charles Heidsieck: 2018 Vins Clairs Tasting

April 2, 2019
"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.
David Kermode Discovers Charles Heidsieck's 'Finest Bubbles'

August 5, 2018
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.
Charles Heidsieck Dinner with Stephen Leroux

August 3, 2018
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.
Vintage Overviews
Grand & Premier Crus Explained