Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve NV (37.5cl)

Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve NV (37.5cl)

Tasting Notes:

A deep golden robe. Delicate vivacious and long-lasting bubbles, are the result of more than 36 months of ageing in chalk cellars.

With 40% of reserve wines (the maximum possible amount), the blend offers a complex and voluptuous note with notes of freshly baked brioche and the richness of roasted coffee beans.

A precise selection of wines, purposely limited to 60 crus, ensure the Brut Réserve a deliciously sophisticated harmony. An opulent selection of ripe, sun-drenched fruits such as mango, apricot and geengage plum combines with dried fruits, pistachio and almond.

The texture is reminiscent of a crisp layer of nougatine on a velevety cream pastry filled with plump red plums and ripe cherries. The reserve wines, some dating back ten years, give the wine lushness. The depth of the thousand-year old chalk quarries where the wine matures offer a touch of praline along with notes of amber and vanilla.

Grape Variety:

40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier

Residual Sugar 11.2g/l

Vinification:

After the first fermentation in stainless steel, each tank undergoes malolactic fermentation to soften the natural acidity. 40% reserve wines are used in the blend, the maximum permitted, with an average age of 10 years. The blend is bottled and selected yeast added for the second fermentation, then placed in the cellar at a temperature of about 10°C. To achieve the depth and complexity required by the house style, Charles Heidsieck age their Non- Vintage Brut for three years, much longer than the legal requirement of 15 months.

Background Information:

Charles Heidsieck is one of most admired Champagne houses thanks to the unrivalled and consistently high quality of its wines. The current range is one of the most awarded collections of wines in the world, something underlined when Chef de Cave Thierry Roset was named 'Sparkling Winemaker of the Year' at the International Wine Challenge this year. This was the 15th time that Charles Heidsieck's winemaking team had won this award, but the first for Thierry, who has been working at the house since 1988. He took over the reins in 2012, having worked with both the great Régis Camus and the legendary Daniel Thibault. This winemaking legacy, paired with the house's flamboyant history since its foundation in 1851 by the man who would become known as 'Champagne Charlie', makes it a unique offering from Champagne: a house with great wines, champagne heritage and proven quality throughout its range.

Charles Heidsieck have built exceptional relationships with the most experienced growers across the Champagne region, and can draw on a rich palette of crus. Precise selection of grapes takes place from 60 specific sites. Vineyards which are integral to producing grapes which build the house style are Oger for Chardonnay for its texture, floral notes and ageing ability, Ambonnay for Pinot Noir for its power, vinosity and fruit, and Verneuil for Pinot Meunier for its acidity, body and aromatics.