Charles HeidsieckBrut Reserve

Really fine bubbles. Extremely intense, showing dried apples, peaches and light apricots with brioche and pie crust. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture and a long, long finish. Very subtle. A blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. 10% of the 2020 base wine fermented and aged in barrel. Dosage 8 g/L. Drink now.

Based on the 2019 vintage and enriched by 50% reserve wines—stored in steel tanks and incorporating some 100 individual wines, averaging a decade in age—Charles Heidsieck’s NV Brut Réserve opens with aromas of candied lemon peel, ripe pear and pineapple mingling with buttered toast and a hint of burnt sugar. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, charming and textural, with a sweet and fleshy fruit core, succulent yet vibrant acidity and a persistent, toasty finish. Disgorged in 2024 with a dosage of nine grams per liter, after nearly four years aging sur lattes, it represents another strong rendition of this reliable cuvée.

The NV Brut Réserve blends 40% each of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with 20% Pinot Meunier, containing up to 50% aged reserve wines. It spent four years on lees and opens with its characteristic smoky, sultry reduction. Redcurrant and lemon follow, leading to an ultra-clear, bright, vivid palate that is limpid with Chardonnay and structured with Pinot fruit, managing to be rich and rounded without a gram of fat. Supple autolysis appears as slightly peppery rye crumb, sitting well with this reductive style. Dosage is 9 grams per liter. (Lot L230718-3167) - Anne Krebiehl MW
- By Antonio Galloni on December 2024