Charles Heidsieck - Brut Réserve MV

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The NV Brut Réserve, a combination of more than 60 different crus and 150 wines, evokes aromas of brioche, pastry, ripe orchard fruits, beeswax and spices. Medium to full-bodied, enrobing and charming, it has a fleshy core of fruit, a pinpoint mousse and delicate acids, making it a charming, delicate Champagne. This blend consists of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, with 50% vins de réserve, and was disgorged with a dosage of nine grams per liter.

The Champagne Sommelier

Produced in the historic Crayères, this exceptional blend showcases 40% reserve wines, carefully integrated with the latest harvest, some aged up to a decade. Its pale gold hue hints at macerated and roasted white and yellow stone fruits. The nose is rich and expressive, revealing refined rancio notes of butter and white mushrooms, seamlessly interwoven with layers of fatty dried fruit, nougat, and delicate Viennese pastries, followed by a whisper of fresh fromage blanc. As the wine opens, a warm hint of vine ash adds intrigue. On the palate, a perfect harmony unfolds between smooth texture and refined vibrancy. Roasted peanuts lend a velvety richness, leading to a precise and playful finish, where bright lemon confectionery notes linger with finesse. A champagne of remarkable depth and complexity, elevating the brut style to new heights.

Andreas Larsson - Tasted

Bright light golden colour with vivid fine bubbles. Good depth and autolytic complexity on the nose with ripe stone fruit, confit de citron, roasted hazelnut, fresh butter, pastry and floral hints. Generous palate with good volume and a gentle creamy texture, underlined by a vibrant freshness, nutty yellow fruit and butter flavours with fine layers, depth and a long supple finish.

Tom Cannavan

With 40% of reserve wines in the blend, from harvests up to 15 years old, this is always one of the most complex of the Grande Marque Brut NVs. The wine is also unusual in that the 60% of the base vintage is made from one-third each of the three main Champagne grapes. It has a sumptuous nose, creamy, toasty, with fig and hazelnut, a hint of ripe peach then onto the palate where that toastiness is alluring, but the sweet nectarine of the fruit fills the mid-palate before excellent, shimmering acidity gives great accuracy to the finish.

Falstaff

Vinum Wine Magazine

Wine Enthusiast

A vibrant Champagne with a white fruit aroma offers a touch of maturity and richness that is typical of the Charles Heidsieck style. Red apples, citrus and toast give the wine a fine balance.

James Suckling

A creamy and silky champagne that has notes of lemons, pastries and apple compote on the nose. It’s medium-bodied and layered with fine bubbles and tasty pastry notes on the fresh, balanced finish. Drink now.

Decanter Magazine

One of the best value grandes marques on the market, a blend of 60 crus, with roughly a third each of Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay, vinified individually by cru and variety, in stainless steel. Compared to other grandes marques, it is high (40%) in reserve wines, averaging 10 years old and dating back to 1990. Quite a floral style with lemon sherbet intensity and bready, leesy characters. It has great concentration and complexity, with a lovely grip of acidity on the finish.

Jeb Dunnuck

The NV Champagne Reserve Brut, a blend of 40% each Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and 20% Meunier, pours a yellow/golden color and is generous and inviting, with loads of classic charm in its notes of brioche, ripe peaches, honied citrus, and fresh flowers. The palate is medium framed but fleshed out by a rounded mousse and has a suggestion of decadence as well as a clean finish. This highly appealing multi-vintage cuvée sees a high percentage of reserve wine going into the final blend, which adds a very well-integrated and layered feel. Drink now or over the coming 5-7 years. Disgorged 2022.

Champagne Club by Richard Juhlin

A fine, somewhat young edition with tight aromas and purer minerality than usual. So for the Heidsieck enthusiast, additional storage is a must.