Charles Heidsieck Vintage Brut 2005
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Wine Enthusiast
Still very young, this holds great potential. Rich, full-bodied and densely structured, it is a wine first, sparkling second. Ripe apple and peach flavors partner with a strongly mineral texture. Cellar Selection.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Vintage Brut – a classic mix of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – is a very ripe and concentrated Champagne with a bit of bitterness in the finish. "2005 was austere as a young wine, but since 2015, it shows very well and promises a very good aging potential," finds chef de cave Régis Camus. The wine opens deep, pure and fresh on the nose, with very clear white fruit aromas, spiced bread and a very clear definition. Light, fresh and finesse-full on the silky-textured palate, but also round and intense, this is a very elegant and refined vintage Champagne. It has a pure and fresh finish, and a long and intense aftertaste. Rating: 93(+) Points.
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James Suckling
This has terrific composure, among the fresher and better-presented of the vintage in terms of aromas. It's toasty with grilled hazelnuts, chalky and flinty. Aromas are in the pithy grapefruit and dried peach spectrum, with lemon too. The palate's seamless, powerful and quite deeply flavored. It climbs high and wide, then focuses neatly through the finish as acidity chimes in as well as some cherry flavor that steadies and balances. Great drinking now.
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Wine Spectator
Notes of apricot and black currant preserves are layered with racy acidity and flavors of grilled nut, pastry cream and candied lemon peel in this creamy, elegant Champagne. Rich and finely balanced, with a vibrant, smoke-tinged finish. Disgorged 2014. Drink now through 2028.
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Wine & Spirits
Plump and rich, this fits clearly within the house style, its flavors broadened by scents of marzipan and spice- box complexity. It’s potent and dense, almost gamey in its power, with a slightly green edge to the acidity that should mellow as the wine ages further.
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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.’