Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve NV

THOSE WITH A keen eye may have noticed that in the Champagne section of your local wine vendor there are quite a few bottles that bear the name Heidsieck. This particular Heidsieck, is a nephew of Florens-Louis Heidsieck, the original who founded Heidsieck & Co (later Piper- Heidsieck). Charles certainly couldn’t be accused of being what these days we would call a ‘nepo baby’. So determined was he to forge his own path, he founded Charles Heidsieck Champagne at only 29.

While there is no doubt that the Champagne was world class from the get go, Charles understood that in order to sell Champagne, you had to sell a lifestyle. In fact, Charles was so good at throwing, hosting or simply just being the life of the party that he earned the nickname ‘Champagne Charlie’, a moniker that still exists today for the lad or laddess who is front and centre at every gathering. Charles Heidsieck is also credited with being the first to truly break into the American market, thanks to his bravery in taking a risk on an as then untapped market, showing that he had business savvy sitting solidly alongside his social capital.

This Champagne has a lively bead in the glass, complex and yeasty aromas co-mingling with ripe apple and peach, and fabulous autolysis and toast on the nose. The palate is rich and weighty with concentrated flavours and laser focussed, yet fine, acidity. A classic and refined example that is ultimately moreish and utterly deserving of top honours. (A)