Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires
Champagne, France
Tasting Notes
A pale gold colour with glints of light green typical of chardonnay grapes and in contrast to the previous 2006 vintage. The saline minerality of the Côte des Blancs is all-pervading. We detect toasted and smoky notes. When swirled, fresh citrus notes appear: grapefruit, yuzu and quince. They bring a cheeky youthfulness to this fine nose, combined with creamy accents and subtil salt butter caramel notes. The identity of the vintage is intertwined with a sharp and classy acidity. An enveloping texture is then revealed with accents of lemon meringue pie and subtle saline notes. Its generosity is very prominent and will continue to develop with ageing. The finish is long and full-bodied with silky sensations.
Food Pairings
The very nature of this vintage makes it perfect, first and foremost, for drinking as an aperitif or at the start of a meal. The sea is its favourite territory for gastronomic pairing, but it perfectly matches with Italian cheeses. SEAFOOD: flying fish roe, sea urchin coral, smoked eel, large oysters and abalone ACCOMPANIMENTS: seaweed, coriander, lemongrass, shiso, lemon balm, peppermint CHEESES: mozzarella, scarmozza, Pecorino di Pienza
Vintage Notes
The year 2007 is anachronistic in its wine profile: it is reminiscent of the profile of the great Blanc de Blancs of the 1980s and 1990s, with restrained maturity and biting acidity. This year caused concern to begin with because everything was so early. Spring and bud break occurred before their usual time. Flowering started on May 25th. Poor weather made it difficult to care for the vineyard, but, at the same time, preserved a good acidity. A rather cool summer, combined with heavy rains just before harvest, made us forget the red-hot summers of preceding years.
Winemaking Notes
Almost 15 years of ageing, including 12 years on lees in the House millenary chalk cellars, inspiration for the name of Blanc des Mill naires. This unusual vintage so befitting of Chardonnay, took back to the classic days. Yield exceeded usual Appellation standards with bunches of exceptional average weight: 168g versus 128g for Meunier and 136 g for Pinot Noir. A good sugar and acid balance was achieved, with 9.5 degrees for 8.5g total acidity, and relatively low pH values.
Vineyard Notes
4 Grands crus et 1 Premier Cru from the Côte des Blancs, selected for their ability to develop and fully express their opulence once matured: Oger, Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, Cramant, Vertus.
Technical Info
BLEND: 100% Chardonnay DOSAGE: 7g/l CELLARING: within 30 years
Tasting Notes
A deep golden hue with glints of light green, this cuvée offers floral notes of violets and acacia and lead into deeper notes of blood oranges, stonefruit, fig and date, complemented by subtle herbal notes of mild tobacco and eucalyptus. The palate's remarkable texture is the special signature of Blanc des Millénaires. Beginning with a saline and chalky texture, the palate moves into creamy notes of nougat, citrus and whipped cream, with a round and generous finish, almost glowing with toasted accents. It is, in fact, similar to its 1995 ancestor: a magnificent reference!
Food Pairings
Cellar Mater Cyril Brun recommends pairing Blanc des Millénaires with seafood, such as tartar of langoustines with passion fruit, roast John Dory, or pressed, uncooked cheese such as Saint Nectaire or Morbier.
Vintage Notes
Despite extreme weather conditions, the 2006 harvest was a generous one. The winter was cold with heavy snowfall, followed by several spring storms across May, then stifling heat at the beginning of summer. Record temperatures featured across July, with a cold and rainy August to follow. Finally, a spell of dry, sunny weather in September was particularly helpful for maturing the grapes and ensuring an unexpectedly smooth and generous harvest.
Technical Info
This 100% Chardonnay is composed of four Grands Crus: Cramant, Avize, Oger, and Le Mesnil sur Oger and 1 Premier Cru, Vertus
Tasting Notes
Shimmering and golden robe in hue with delicate effervescence, this cuvée offers elegant notes of lemon and apple blossoms with a hint of salty butter and almonds along with a toasted nuance of crème anglaise. At the onset, fresh citrus gives the wine a taut crispness which is followed by a gradual persistence and intensity. The mouthfeel is dynamic and perfectly structured with mineral tones and a long and well-rounded finish with rich texture.
Technical Info
This 100% Chardonnay is composed of four Grands Crus: Cramant, Avize, Oger, and Le Mesnil sur Oger and 1 Premier Cru, Vertus
IN 1993, CHARLES HEIDSIECK RELEASED ITS FIRST BLANC DES MILLÉNAIRES from its prestigious 1983 vintage for the first time. Since then, the House has only unveiled two vintages of this wine, in 1985 and 1995. This shows just how exceptional the Chardonnays from those harvests were! A vintage Blanc de Blancs that owes its name to the Chardonnay grapes, the exclusive variety from which it is produced, as well as to its long aging in the House’s chalk cellars. These unique and spectacular two thousand year old crayères that Charles acquired in 1867 are part of the historical sites of the UNESCO’s world heritage list.
Tasting Notes
A magnificent, luminous, golden hue with primrose highlights, elaborated exclusively from Chardonnay grapes. A delicate, distinctive bubble, the result of exceptional aging in Gallo-Romain chalk cellars. Four Côte des Blancs grands crus and one premier cru: this meticulous selection grants a unique nobility, elegance, and generosity to this wine. The rich bouquet offers up aromas of dried and candied fruits with hazelnuts, almonds and dates. The wine of a connoisseur, with deep, heady notes of beeswax and nougat. The year 1995 finds expression thanks to the voluptuous, and yet delicate texture so characteristic of the Blanc des Millénaires. Smooth and sensual, the wine reveals its generosity in notes of salty caramel and its mildness with notes of cream enhanced with hints of citrus, toasted almonds, spices (vanilla and ginger) and cedar wood. A fresh finish highlights the potential of this wine, produced with great Chardonnays.
Winemaking Notes
A unique emotion, the impression of eternity just like how one feels when standing in the heart of the Gallo-Roman chalk cellars: such is the sensation experienced when tasting this legendary vintage. At the heart of one of the most beautiful and rare chalk cellars in Champagne, the wine has been kept under perfect aging conditions: a haven of quiet where the temperature remains at 50°F all year round and where the atmosphere is constant.
It has taken almost 20 years of maturing in these extraordinary chalk cellars to mellow the carbonation, to generate the fine, delicate bubbles so typical of the Blanc des Millénaires 1995 and take it towards its ultimate smoothness.
Almost a year of additional resting time after disgorging is still required by the Cellar Master to perfect the final balance and complete the masterpiece. The promise of an unforgettable moment...
Vineyard Notes
Chardonnay is the only variety used in this exceptionally textured cuvée. From the range of choices offered by the Champagne region, five major crus from the Côte des Blancs have been meticulously selected, on the one hand for their ability to evolve and, on the other, for their ability to fully express their character during the maturation period: Oger for its unctuousness and structure, Mesnil-sur-Oger for balance, Avize for its minerality, Cramant for its complexity and Vertus for its freshness and floral notes.
Technical Info
100% Chardonnay