The legendary house of Charles Heidsieck is undoubtedly one of the Great Names of Champagne, but the superior quality of the wine has long gone unnoticed by the general public. And that while this Brut Reserve is 'the best value Champagne on the market', if you ask Tom Stevenson (author of the World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wine).

The excellent quality is mainly due to the fact that Heidsieck works with a share of no less than 40% reserve wines. These come from the most beautiful plots and from the best years. The wines are aged in barrels for about 5 to 15 years before being used in the Brut Réserve blend. This gives this impressive Champagne a striking depth and complexity.

 

Although the grapes (equal parts chardonnay, pinot noir and meunier) come from a total of sixty different crus, three determine the style. The grand cru Oger in the Côte de Blancs (chardonnay), the grand cru Ambonnay in Montagne de Reims (pinot noir) and the renowned Vallée de la Marne cru Verneuil (meunier) have long been the soul of the Brut Réserve.

After careful blending by chef de cave Cyril Brun, the wine matures for at least another three years on the yeasts in the beautiful, two-millenia-old crayères. These breathtaking limestone cellars in Reims are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After maturation, disgorgement (removing the yeasts from the bottle) and bottling follow.

This method produces a truly sublime Champagne, which, although it bears the simple name Brut Réserve, tastes like a complex (multi) vintage Champagne – à la Krug, but much more affordable. It is not without reason that this beautiful wine has won a shower of medals and awards time and again. Drink the Brut Réserve as a festive and luxurious aperitif, or in combination with a bowl of oysters. Pure pleasure guaranteed!

Drink or store?

While most non-vintage Champagnes are best drunk young, a Champagne of this caliber can also age well in the bottle for a few more years. Depending on your preference for a young, fresh or more mature style of Champagne, you can drink the Brut Réserve right away, or keep it for up to 5-6 years. Because a non-vintage Champgane cannot state a vintage, Heidsieck has come up with a particularly smart solution. The house has listed the mise en crayères as well as the date de dégorgement on the back label of the bottle. The former indicates when the Champagne has entered the cellar to mature on the lees, the latter when the yeasts have been removed from the bottle and the Champagne is finally bottled. This way you not only know how long the Champagne has matured on the domain, but also until when you can still keep it yourself!