Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires Brut in Gift Box 2006
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Robert
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
To the eye, a deep golden hue with glints of light green, invoking an image of sunshine playing on leaves. On the nose, floral notes of violets and acacia lead into deeper notes of blood orange and finally a hint of the Mediterranean maquis. Remarkable texture is the special signature of Blanc des Millénaires. Beginning with a saline and chalky texture, the palate moves into creamy notes of nougat, citrus and whipped cream, with a round and generous finish, almost glowing with toasted accents.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A textbook blanc de blancs in a relatively opulent style, with ample grilled nut, brioche and spice character alongside classic flavors of poached apricot, kumquat, oyster shell and lemon blossom. This rich profile is well-defined by racy acidity, sleek and well-cut, driving the long, lacy finish. A beauty.
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James Suckling
Rippling with ripe stone-fruit and citrus aromas, plus notes of buttered toast and chalk, this is both powerful and mouthwatering, with enough structure to carry its imposing stature. The lemony finish is at once creamy and saline. A Blanc de Blancs from 5 top Crus in the Côte des Blancs. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Recently disgorged with seven grams per liter dosage, the 2006 Brut Blanc de Blancs Blanc des Millénaires is expressive and charming, in keeping with the sunny, demonstrative style of the vintage. Offering up aromas of toasted brioche, honeycomb, yellow apples and preserved citrus, it's full-bodied, fleshy and textural, with a rich core of fruit, ripe acids and an attractive pinpoint mousse. It's already drinking well, and I'd be inclined to approach it sooner than the more tightly wound 2004 rendition.
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Wine &
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.’