Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires Brut in Gift Box 1995
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Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A mouthwatering Champagne, refined and satiny in texture, with a citrusy overtone to the flavors of apricot preserves, toasted hazelnut and brioche, crystallized honey and fleur de sel. Presents a lasting, smoke- and spice-filled finish. Drink now through 2025.
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Decanter
So silky-smooth and with such intense nut toffee! The toastiness is there, but it's swimming in an oily nectar which prevents it from really making its way forward as it does in many other vintages. Pretty mousse and uplifting charm.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 1995 Brut Blanc des Millenaires shows just how compelling this often overlooked vintage can be. Layers of lemon, pastry, spices, crushed rocks and savory herbs literally jump from the glass. An exquisite, perfumed, beautifully delineated Champagne, the 1995 shows lovely flavor complexity and nuance from its extended time in bottle, yet it also retains plenty of freshness, verve and acidity. This is a great showing from Charles Heidsieck. The 1995 was made before the tenure of the house’s current team, headed by CEO Cecile Bonnefond. It will be very interesting to see what develops at this historic property over the coming years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022.
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Wine Enthusiast
This 12-year old shows signs of maturity, but retains freshness and liveliness as well. With its yeasty edge, toasty flavors and wonderful white fruits all in balance, it is finely balanced. The acidity is kept in check by the richness of the mature fruit. A very complete Champagne. Editors' Choice
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James Suckling
A wine with some impressive deep-set complexity. Very toasty, sweet, caramelized lemon and grapefruit aromas plus a wealth of grilled hazelnuts and sweet-smelling spicy accents too. The palate's smoky, savory and has sherry-like nutty aged characters. The thread runs long through the finish, and slightly dried citrus fruits fade slowly in a nutty afterglow with a candied lime finish. A truly mature Champagne.
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Wine & Spirits
Platinum gold in color this wine is moving toward maturity with hazelnut flavors, touches of fresh almond and Sherried notes. Its scent of dried chamomile adds to the rich warmth. Chardonnay as an elder statesman.
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Régis Camus joined Charles Heidsieck in 1994 and has been the head winemaker of the House since 2002. This meticulous and passionate professional likes to keep an eye on everything: the state of the vineyards, the selection of the grapes, their pressing and their vinification, cru by cru, in individual vats. His mission is to perpetuate the Charles Heidsieck style, reflecting the richness of the Champagne region.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’