Charles Heidsieck - Millesime Vintage Brut 2013
- Producer Charles Heidsieck
-
Blend
40% Chardonnay
60% Pinot Noir - Country France
- Region Champagne
- UPC 667505000067
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Item# 13693G-13/6PK
Wine Enthusiast
96pt
Description
The Millesime is a blend of ten Grands and Premiers Crus meticulously selected by the House, replete with indulgence and the refinement of wines dating from the early 2000s. It continues to express a magnificent minerality, intensity and acidity throughout the tasting experience. In addition to these excellent qualities, this vintage already displays all the elegance of a great vintage, a typical feature of the Charles Heidsieck House. The Millésime will be enhanced with time, more particularly with regard to dining as it is honored at all tables.
Tasting notes
The deep, reflective gold hue offers a delicate, lively effervescence. An initial voluptuousness with pronounced aromas of blueberry tart and cooked mirabelle plums, followed by the warm autumn notes of candied chestnuts and honey, with a surprising hint of pralines and lightly roasted hazelnuts. The meticulous selection of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay heralds the complex personality of this exceptional vintage. The incredible balance offers the firmness expected of a great champagne as well as an autumnal unctuousness which one might anticipate from the climatic condition offered by this vintage, characterized by generous flavors of roasted apricots, dates and figs which delicately cover the palate. The creamy texture is reminiscent of an almond custard, followed by delicious notes of apricot tart with almonds and whipped cream.
Vintage
This was a very well-balanced year despite cold weather during flowering. The fall was wonderfully fresh and dry, followed by a rather mild winter, disrupted only by periods of precipitation towards the beginning of spring. In the midst of June, a crucial moment in the flowering, a bitter cold period presented a potential threat to the vines. Worried winegrowers were relieved in mid-September to note the quality of their very best vines. Following a series of unusual years, either in volume or precocity of the harvest, this year returned to the Champagne norms. Perfect weather during the harvests ensured very healthy, ripe grapes.
Estate
Charles Heidsieck is the smallest of the Grandes Marques Champagne Houses. Based in the Reims region of Champagne, it is one of the best-known producers for both vintage and non-vintage cuvée. In 1851, young Charles Heidsieck founded his own Champagne house in Reims. He understood that the United States was an important emerging market, so he traversed America repeatedly north to south promoting his new brand. The stylish entrepreneur became known lovingly as “Champagne Charlie.”
Technical data
Vineyards: 100% Grand & Premier Cru | Chardonnay: Avize, Cramant, Oger, Vertus | Pinot Noir: Ambonnay, Mailly
Grape Varieties: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
Ageing: 8 years on the lees
Disgorged: Summer 2014
Dosage: 10.8 g/l
Drink: Now to 2030
Grape Varieties: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
Ageing: 8 years on the lees
Disgorged: Summer 2014
Dosage: 10.8 g/l
Drink: Now to 2030