Charles Heidsieck : Vintage 2006

The personality of a fine vintage champagne

The producer

An essential reference for great Champagne wines, the Charles Heidsieck House maintains a prestigious heritage with two-thousand-year-old chalk pits. The pioneering Charles Heidsieck began to distinguish itself from the end of the 1980s through showcasing its multi-vintage Brut champagne’s exceptional capacity for aromatic evolution. In 1987, Charles Heidsieck was the first Champagne house to indicate its “cellaring” year to follow the evolution of the wine over time.

The vineyard

The Charles Heidsieck Champagne House owns a vineyard of around 60 hectares in Marne and Aube. This vineyard has received sustainable viticulture and High Environmental Value certifications. In addition to its own vineyard and through following the Champagne model, Charles Heidsieck supplements its vineyard with long-term supply contracts with rigorously selected wine-growers and cooperatives in the Champagne region.

The wine

The result of an exceptional harvest, the 2006 Brut Millésimé by the Charles Heidsieck Champagne House captures the expression of its birthyear in a champagne that boasts an accomplished personality. The grapes used in the Brut Millésimé blend are exclusively from Premiers and Grands Crus.

The vintage

A contrasting year, marked by a cold winter and a scorching summer, 2006 gave rise to a superb harvest with grapes that reached perfect maturity, presented a good level of acidity and thus, promised to produce a fine and ageworthy champagne.

Vinification and ageing

The alcoholic fermentation is followed by a malolactic fermentation which gives the wine its signature round and vinous identity. The wine is then aged in vats and bottled. They will age for 10 years in the house’s chalky cellars in Reims.

The blend

Charles Heidsieck's Brut Millésimé 2006 is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Charles Heidsieck's Brut Millésimé 2006: Characteristics and tasting tips

The tasting

Colour

The golden colour enhances the finesse of the regular and delicate effervescence.

Nose

Floral to begin with, the aromatic bouquet reveals its complexity and evolves towards generous fragrances of summer fruit with scents of peach, apricot and mirabelle plum. The more acidic notes of citrus and bergamot then appear before giving way to the subtlety of toasted and liquorice notes.

Palate

The palate seduces with its delicately silky texture, revealing the generosity of its flavours, all of which is elevated by the finesse the delicate bubble. Round and ample, the palate reveals delicious notes reminiscent of nougat, while the saline minerality of the champagne gives it a perfect balance.