2006 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires
One of the hallmarks of the Charles Heidsieck style is toasty complexity and the richness of maturity. So when the late Daniel Thibault brought 40 per cent of reserve wines to the recipe of the non-vintage fizz, it made Charles Heidsieck NV Brut Réserve (now Mis en Cave) one of the greatest non-vintage champagnes, which is where it has remained ever since. Given that no reserve wine is allowed in vintage champagne, it poses a challenge for its prestige cuvée, Blanc des Millénaires, and that challenge has been met to date by selecting only great vintages for Charles Heidsieck’s top fizz. Before this latest release, the first cuvée started the ball rolling in 1983, followed by 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2004.
Entrance to the Charles Heidsieck Cellar
The idea behind Blanc des Millénaires is to show first of all the ultimate expression of the Chardonnay grape from a single vintage, and, equally, how the individual components of 20% each from the five Côte des Blanc crus of Cramant, Avize, Le Mesnil, Oger and Vertus meld together to make a sum that’s greater than the parts. What does each part bring? Broadly speaking, as winemaker Cyril Brun explains, Cramant, facing east, adds a floral finesse, higher Avize brings exotic fruit notes, Oger opulence and Le Mesnil tension and minerality. Aftre the four grands crus, Vertus, the only premier cru, adds roundness of texture.
Cellarmaster Cyril Brun
Visiting Charles Heidsieck three years ago with a small group of fellow wine writers, we were put through our paces by MD Stephen Leroux and Veuve Clicquot’s long-standing deputy cellarmaster Cyril Brun, who had only come on board in 2015 after the unexpected death of Thierry Roset the previous year. Among a host of other wines, Leroux and Brun showed us all vintages of Blanc des Millénaires. One feature came abundantly clear: these wines not only stand the test of time, but, admittedly kept in the best condition, remain incredibly fresh a long while after disgorgement. The magnificent 1983 for instance had been disgorged in 1991, the 1985 in 1994 and the 1995, drinking beautifully today, in 2015.
2006 had been a hot year with harvest beginning as early as 13 August in the Côte des Bar. Chardonnay underwent two different stages of maturation with an average maturity of 10.3 % potential alcohol, resulting in a small yield of intense and opulent wines. Disgorged in March last year, the 2006 Blanc des Millénaires is pale gold in colour with fresh, light toasty aromatic notes and a delicate vanilla and almond undertone, followed by generously rich and toasty fruit, whose opulence is sliced through by a trenchant blade of acidity, a honeycomb note contrasting with a refreshing twist of lively austerity, and finishing with a saliva-inducing mineral dry finish. This will continue to age and develop happily over the next 10 years. 95 / 100
Launched 1 October, Charles Heidsieck 2006 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires, £95 - £100 in bond (i.e. before duty and VAT), Ditton Wines & Spirits, Fine & Rare, Farr Vintners, Cru World Wine, Turville Valley Wines, The Finest Bubble.
Posted by Anthony Rose 13 October 2020
The cellars (see if you can find the Charles Heidsieck bottle)