Heidsieck & Co. Monopole - Gout Americain Extra Dry NV

Tasting notes

Fun Fact: This was the only Champagne poured on the Titanic! Heidsieck & Co. Monopole is one of the oldest Champagne firms in all of France's Champagne region. Showing pretty colors of light yellow with green highlights, the nose is strong and generous, characterized by an aromatic richness blending toasty and buttery aromas. It is full & fruity with a well-structured taste of peach, cherry, plums, and then oranges. Freshness, elegance and delicacy emerge gently throughout the entire tasting. It is very pleasant on the palate.

Description

In 1916, a small Swedish transport vessel called Jonkoping carrying 3,000 bottles of champagne destined for the Imperial Russian military sunk to the bottom of the Baltic Sea off the Finnish coast after being torpedoed by a German submarine. That champagne was the 1907 Heidsieck & Co Monopole Gout Americain, one of the world’s most legendary bubblies. It was the same label carried by the Titanic when it sunk back in 1912.

In 1998, some bottles of the Gout Americain was salvaged from the wreck of the Jonkoping. Those bottles – kept in constant cold temperature, pressure, and total darkness – become some of the world’s priciest bottles of champagne. It was affectionately called the “shipwreck champagne”.

But something that precious (it’s $190,700 a bottle) isn’t quite made for everyday drinking. So Heidsieck & Co Monopole and ATLAS joined forces to recreate it. The Champagne Heidsieck & Co Monopole Extra-Dry “Gout Americain” is the result.

That said, the new cuvee isn’t quite like the original. People in those days preferred their bubblies on the sweeter side. In fact, Gout Americain, or “American taste” in those days clocked in around 110 to 160 grams of sugar per bottle. That’s more than ten times the sweetness of an Extra Brut most people prefer these days. Heidsieck & Co Monopole wisely dialed down the sugar to far more acceptable levels. According to official tasting notes the nose offers crystallized fruit and orange blossom, while the palate reveals a pleasant sweetness.

Gout Americain is a legendary bottle that screams history. It gives us the chance to revisit and experience what the royal courts enjoyed during the turn of the 20th century.

Estate

Heidsieck & Co Monopole Champagne is a Champagne house located in Epernay in the Champagne region of France and is one of Champagne’s oldest and most respected Champagne houses. Established in 1785 by Florens-Louis Heidsieck in Epernay, Heidsieck & Co. Monopole was one of the original “Grande Marques” of Champagne. Heidsieck & Co. Monopole is still recognised as one of the most respected and best-known houses in Champagne and as one of the largest Champagne marques in the UK. Heidsieck & Co Monopole range includes Blue Top NV the primary house champagne, Blue Top Premiers Crus NV, Extra Dry NV and Gold Top Millesime Vintage Champagne.

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