Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Blancs, Champagne
A$129.95
Availability:
In stock
SKU
CHARHBDBNV
A brilliant blanc de blancs, deftly balancing freshness and chardonnay fruit with mellow softness that is typical of the marque. Lifted white-floral and herb aromas with a hint of toasted bread, intense and penetrating in the mouth and leaving an overriding impression of freshness and vitality on the lengthy finish. Despite its refinement it has a great volume of flavour. It leaves a cleansing dryness which appetises the palate. (25% reserve wines, four years on lees) 18 Jul 2022 Drink 2022–2022
96 points Huon Hooke therealreview.com
Based on the 2012 vintage and disgorged in 2019, Heidsieck's NV Blanc de Blancs continues to show nicely, exhibiting aromas of lemon oil, dried white flowers, green apple and walnuts. It's medium to full-bodied, taut and chiseled. If anything it exhibits a more reserved, austere profile than it did last year. Based on this showing, it's evolving more slowly than I anticipated, and I'd be inclined to counsel readers to wait another year or two before popping corks.
William Kelley robertparker.com Apr 2021 Drink 2022-2037
2012 base vintage Disgorged May 2017 and 2018
Tasted in Champagne and Australia
100% chardonnay, half Oger and Vertus, half Villers-Marmery, Trépail, Vaudemange, Montgueux; 25% reserve wines averaging 5 years or age; fermented in stainless steel vats, cru by cru; 10g/L dosage; technological cork; 60,000 bottles
The first release of the modern reincarnation of Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs NV, first made in the 1970s and discontinued after about five vintages with the launch of Champagne Charlie when Remy Cointreau took ownership. The house has a deep history producing Blanc de Blancs Vintage since at least 1947, and there was a Charles Heidsieck Le Mesnil 1906.
In the shadow of the majesty of the legendary Blanc des Millénaires, there was great expectation surrounding the unveiling of a non-vintage blanc de blancs in the noble Charles family, and the result has resoundingly stepped up to the expectation. The brief for Charles’ new Blanc de Blancs was a purposeful and distinct juxtaposition to the mandate of Blanc des Millénaires. By stark contrast to the Côte des Blancs endurance of BdM, this is a complex union between the most generous crus of the Côte (50% Oger and Vertus), the equal balance from the east-facing villages of the Montagne de Reims and the outposts of Montgueux and the Sézanne. The stark contrast of this cuvée leads out from the outset in a hue of full straw, yet bright and radiant. Projecting the unmistakable, definitive DNA of Charles, it’s layered in deep allusions of truffle, vanilla bean, baked apple, ripe pear, butter croissant, a complex interplay of spice, even a suggestion of warm hearth, incense and wax unexpected in a cuvée that does not depend upon old reserves. In the midst of the signature deep and contemplative mood of the house, it sings with the pure lemon high notes of chardonnay, the vivacity of youthful 2012 acidity, and the grainy, glittering, frothing salt chalk mineral structure of Oger, the eastern Montagne de Reims and Montgueux – crus quite distinct in their geography, yet sharing a commonality in the grainy grip of their mineral structure. A one-quarter dose of the challenging 2011 season is well deployed to build structure, tension and grip. A masterfully assembled blanc de blancs of rolling persistence and a worthy addition to the hallowed halls of Charles.
95 points Tyson Stelzer The Champagne Guide
| Product/Service Sold Out | No |
|---|---|
| En Primeur | No |
| New Arrivals | No |
| Wine Type | Champagne/Sparkling |
| Wine Style | Traditional |
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne |
| Varietals | Chardonnay |
| Vintage | NV/MV |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Wine Points | 96 |
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