One champagne house that is incredibly historic but relatively hard to find in the United States, Charles Heidseick is the smallest of the Grandes Marques champagne houses. Located in Reims, it was founded back in 1851 by Charles Camille Heidseick who was also known as ‘Champagne Charlie.’
Charles Heidsieck focused on selecting, blending and aging wines to produce higher quality champagnes, buying grapes from individual growers. In 1867 he purchased several old chalk quarries, called crayères which dated from the Gallo-Roman era, to produce good conditions for his wines. Some of these crayères are 30 meters below the ground and store wine even more than 40 years. Charles ended up gaining warrants from many of the royal and imperial families of the time.
For many years this house was led by the Henriot group and then was sold in 1985 to Remi Cointreau. Before being purchased by EPI (Société européenne de participations industrielles). The house produces a range of wines from their NV cuvees to vintage wine and their top tete de cuvee, the Blanc des Millénaires’ which is only made from top vintages.
Current cellar master Cyril Brun crafts some beautiful wines as I reviewed two wines by Charles Heidseick, their NV ‘Brut Reserve’ (OB, 90) and their scintillating 2004 Blanc des Millénaires (OB, 98) which is nothing short of a work of art. This incredible wine is a must-purchase for any serious collector of top champagne. Learn more about this famed house at
NV Charles Heidseick ‘Brut Reserve’ Champagne- Straightforward but also quite delicious now, the NV Charles Heidseick ‘Brut Reserve’ Champagne leads with toasty sourdough bread and melon tones alongside racy acidity and a smooth mousse. Bright with its citrus fruits and green apple tones, enjoy in the near-future. Drink 2022-2026- 90
2004 Charles Heidseick ‘Blanc des Millénaires’ Champagne- Now at the eighteen year mark, the incredible 2004 Charles Heidseick ‘Blanc des Millénaires’ is shining brightly and slowly getting into its tertiary realm. Once on the nose this exudes class with incredible range from banana and papaya accents alongside buttered French bread, salted Cashew and shades of crushed limestone. The palate is deep and rich, as the golden hue would suggest. A silky mousse greets you, as the intense, near minute-long finish, continues to gratify the palate. Do not miss out on tasting this glorious wine, which is truly peaking now and will surely live on for another fifteen plus years. Drink 2022-2037- 98