2014 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires
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Tasting notes
It’s been a long wait for Charles Heidsieck fans for another release of their iconic Blanc des Millénaires cuvée – which we haven’t seen since 2007. The 2014 is an exceptional follow-up that is already drinking beautifully. Pure Chardonnay, it is a wonderfully expressive wine with aromas of butter-rich pastry, crème pâtissière and candied lemon. The texture is pillowy and soft, a cloud-like mousse that embraces the palate. Vibrant acidity works with layers of white peach and ripe pear, the bite of lemon pith and underlying chalky minerality. It’s almost impossible to resist now, but the wine’s concentration and balance heralds years in the cellar. Only the eighth release of this cuvée, it’s a wine that is more than worthy of its status.
Critic scores
Average Score
Tom Hewson, Decanter
Richard Juhlin
More reviews and scores
The only Blanc des Millénaires made during Thierry Roset's brief tenure as cellar master of Charles Heidsieck before his untimely death after the 2014 harvest. The wine was blended by Cyril Brun. It has seen less time on lees than the previous 2007 and 2006 wines – between eight and nine years rather than 12 – but the decision feels apt for this beautifully delicate, bright and serene edition of one of Champagne's top, if lesser-known, prestige Blanc de Blancs, emphasising purity over creamy richness. There are plenty of ripe aromatics, with fuzzy fragrant apricots, mandarin and even some fresh mango playing with hazelnut and coffee macaron complexity just starting to fire up. There's a quiet, calm insistence to the palate, more similar to the 2004 than the tension and drama of the 2007 or the generosity of the 2006. It seems set to be one of the vintage's top performers. Chardonnay from Cramant, Avize, Oger, Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger and Vertus, entirely vinified in stainless steel with full malolactic fermentation. Dosage: 9g/L.
I was a little worried that a new winemaker and the large amount of time that had passed since the last vintage, (seven years between releases), had changed the style of this usually wonderful wine. In addition, 2014 is a somewhat thin vintage where the main champagnes are Cristal and Bollinger's Aÿ vineyards of Pinot Noir. So glad my fears were unfounded. Stylishly blended and ultra-harmonious with a well thickened citrus butterscotch similar to all previous vintages of this wine. Perhaps slightly lighter, but at the same time a colossal gunpowder-smoked and impressive mineral-sprinkled roasted bouquet.
About the producer
Founded by the original “Champagne Charlie”, Champagne Charles Heidsieck is one of the region’s smaller Houses but also one of its most quality-focused. From its Brut Réserve to its prestige cuvée, Blanc des Millénaires, the wines are rich, vinous and complex.