Tasting Notes
Antonio Galloni 89
The NV (2019) Brut Réserve is a fine introduction to the range. Pear, green apple, brioche, white flowers and a touch of reduction all take shape in the glass. This mid-weight, racy Champagne is all charm. Disgorged: 2024.
Anticipated maturity: 2025-2030
Vinous 91
(made from roughly one-third each Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier; 11 g/l dosage; disgorged in 2013 after five years on its yeasts): Bright yellow. Potent smoke-tinged orchard and pit fruit aromas are complemented by notes of tarragon, toasted brioche and pungent flowers. Fleshy and broad on entry, then tighter in the mid-palate, offering juicy pear and nectarine flavors and a bracing kick of chalky minerals. This rich yet lively Champagne finishes with very good thrust and length and repeating smokiness.
Wine Advocate 92
Based on the 2014 vintage, complemented by fully 40% old reserve wines, the new release of Charles Heidsieck’s NV Brut Reserve was disgorged earlier this year. It’s showing very well, opening up in the glass with notes of green apple, dried white flowers, pear, candied peel and walnuts. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a textural attack and a racier, tighter-knit core than either the 2012- or 2010-base renditions, displaying good concentration and underlying richness. This is a bottling that continues to punch above its weight and which both merits and rewards a few years in the cellar before opening.
Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035
