Charles Heidsieck Champagne (Wine Styles & Best Bottles 2024)

The renowned Charles Heidsieck Champagne house is known for balancing traditional winemaking methods with path-breaking innovations. Its esteemed flagship wine, Brut Reserve, has won over 40 prestigious awards in the past decade! 

Let’s go on a journey to discover this prestigious Champagne house. You’ll find out about its history, best wines, investment potential, and how you can invest in Charles Heidsieck and other fine wines.

Charles Heidsieck at a Glance

The Charles Heidsieck Champagne House is located in Reims, Champagne. It is the smallest of all 24 Grand Marque Champagne houses. 

The Charles Heidsieck winery makes non-vintage and vintage sparkling wines with the Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay varietals.

The winery also has 47 1,000-year-old chalk cellars (chalk crayeres) that UNESCO listed as a World Heritage site in 2015.

• Fun fact: The charismatic founder of the wine estate, Charles Camille Heidsieck, was the one to popularize Champagne in the USA. He was known by the nickname ‘Champagne Charlie’ (dubbed by a New York newspaper.) He was even depicted in a 1989 mini-series movie with Hugh Grant acting as Champagne Charlie. 

Let’s find out more about the exquisite sparkling wines from this winery.

Charles Heidsieck Wine Styles

Here are the different Charles Heidsieck Champagne styles:

1. Brut Reserve

The Brut Reserve cuvee is the brand’s non vintage flagship wine. It has about 60% of new vintage wine and 40% of reserve wine (aged in the cellar for approximately 10 years.) 

The grapes are sourced from different areas and give the wine its richness and exquisite texture. 

To make the Brut Reserve sparkling wine, the winery uses:

• Chardonnay from crus in Oger, Cote des Blancs
• Grand Cru Pinot Noir from Ambonnay, Montagne de Reims
• Distinct Pinot Meunier from Verneuil, Vallee de Marne

2. Rose Reserve

The Rose Reserve is a non vintage blend made with 40% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, and 25% Pinot Meunier. The grapes are sourced from the best premier crus in Champagne. The blend elegantly highlights each cru’s flavor and aroma.

3. Blanc De Blancs

The Blanc de Blancs wine is made with Chardonnay grapes. It’s a blend of 75% new Chardonnay wine with 25% reserve wine. The Champagne House relaunched this cuvee in 2018.

4. Rose Millesime

The plush Rose Millesime wine is a vintage rose with a large percentage of Pinot Noir and a small amount of Chardonnay sourced from Grand and Premier Cru vineyards. 

5. Blanc Des Millenaires

The Blanc Des Millenaires is a prestige cuvee, conceptualized in the 1980s. It’s made with Chardonnay grapes from the Cote des Blancs vineyard.

This Champagne is made with the highest quality Chardonnay reserve wine. This style is rarely produced - only six vintages have been released in the past 30 years. 

6. Coteaux Champenois

Coteaux Champenois (translates to Champagne hillsides) is a range of limited edition still white wines made from different Chardonnay crus. These wines are used to make Blanc de Blancs Champagne. 

The Charles Heidsieck Champagne House owns about 60 hectares of sustainably farmed vines in the Aube and Marne regions. But a significant percentage of grapes comes from 200 independent growers in the Champagne region.

So, how is the Charles Heidsieck flagship wine made?

How is The Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Made?

The prestigious Brut Reserve Champagne is a unique blend that uses the 60/40/10 formula. 

What does this mean?

• 60: About 60 crus go into creating this blend. The winemaker vinifies separately equal parts of Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay grapes in stainless steel vats. 
• 40: This is the percentage of reserve wine used in the blend split equally between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It adds to the complexity of the Brut Reserve blend.
• 10: This is the average age of the reserve wines used. These reserve wines are aged for 5-15 years in vats to fully develop their aromas.

The result is complex and profound wines with incredible aging potential (up to 10 years.) All bottles have key information like the year the Champagne started aging and the year it was disgorged.

Investing in Charles Heidsieck Wines

Charles Heidsieck produces about 1 million bottles annually, a small number compared to Champagne giants like Moet or Veuve Clicquot. 

The brand enjoys consistent price increases. For example:

• The 1983 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires Champagne rose from $548 in 2019 to $689 in 2021, a 26% spike.
• The 1981 Charles Heidsieck Royal Brut Millesime Champagne rose from $442 in 2019 to $874 in 2021 - a 97% appreciation in price.

These are some of the auction results of these sparkling wines:

• At Christie’s, a single bottle of the 1981 Charles Heidsieck Cuvee Royale sold for approximately $5,700 in 2017.
• That same year at Christie’s, six magnums of the 1982 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Charlie cuvee sold for $10,413.

Charles Heidsieck Champagne also has received high scores from wine critics and publications like the Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Decanter, and Wine Enthusiast.

Now let’s look at the Charles Heidsieck wines you must get your hands on.

The Best Charles Heidsieck Wine To Buy in 2024

These are the Charles Heidsieck wines you should look out for in 2024:

1. 1969 Charles Heidsieck Brut Millesime, Champagne, France

This exquisite vintage brut has a charming nose of dried white flowers, greengage plum, and rich white fruits. It has a palate of crystalized honey, a zingy texture, and fresh acidity.

Price of 1969 Charles Heidsieck Brut Millesime, Champagne, France: $601

2. 1983 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires, Champagne, France

This prestige cuvee has delicious aromas of rich white fruits, plump red plums, and pistachio. 

The palate has enchanting flavors of roasted coffee beans, candied peel, and toasted brioche. The flavor profile has pleasant lemon sherbet intensity and a lasting floral finish.

Price of 1983 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires, Champagne, France: $688

3. Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne, France

Here we have an exquisite ripe Champagne with a delightful nose of freshly baked brioche, pistachio, and dried fruit notes. 

The exquisite flavors include ripe cherries, plump red plums, and a velvety cream pastry. Pair this wine with white meat dishes, fish, and cheesecake with a thick, toasty base.

Price of Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne, France: $54

4. 1985 Charles Heidsieck Rose Millesime, Champagne, France

This vintage rosé sparkling wine has a nose of strawberry, ripe cherries, and rose petal notes. It has a palate of crystalized honey, dried white flowers, toasted brioche, and coconut flavors. Good acidity and a moderately long finish round off this wine. 

Price of 1985 Charles Heidsieck Rose Millesime, Champagne, France: $455

5. Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Rose, Champagne, France

Here’s a wine with an exquisite nose of velvety cream pastry, grated ginger, and greengage plum notes. The palate is creamy and soft with a crisp layer of plump red plums, candied peel, raspberries, and freshly baked brioche. 

Price of Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Rose, Champagne, France: $65

6. 1981 Charles Heidsieck Royal Brut Millesime Champagne, France

Here we have a gold-hued vintage brut with distinct aromas of toasted brioche, roasted coffee beans, and dried fruit. The palate has a crisp layer of fruity marmalade and good minerality and acidity. Compliment the richness of this cuvee by serving it with shellfish or a soft cheese platter.

Price of 1981 Charles Heidsieck Royal Brut Millesime Champagne, France: $865

7. 1981 Charles Heidsieck L'Oenotheque Champagne, France

This delicious wine has a vibrant nose of toffee, citrus, roasted coffee beans, and brioche notes. The palate has a lemon sherbet intensity along with good acidity, chalky minerality, and a long finish.

Price of 1981 Charles Heidsieck L'Oenotheque Champagne, France: $511

8. Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, France

This non vintage Champagne has a gorgeous bouquet of brioche, dried white flowers, and coconut flavors. The palate has hints of rich white fruits, grated ginger, a zingy texture, and a long, dry finish.

Price of Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, France: $72

Want to curate your own portfolio of Charles Heidsieck Champagne and other fine wine bottles? 

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Invest in Charles Heidsieck Wines And Other Fine Wines Through Vinovest

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Now, if you want a slice of the Champagne house’s history, read on:

A Brief History of the Charles Heidsieck Champagne House

Charles Heidsieck, a French Champagne merchant and nephew to Piper Heidsieck, founded his Champagne House in 1851. He produced high-quality Champagnes with grapes sourced from independent growers.

In 1852, the young Charles Heidsieck started selling his Champagne in the US until the American Civil War disrupted trade.

In 1867, he bought extensive underground chalk cellars situated in the center of Reims, 60 feet underground. The cool chalk cellars have been used for aging wines for nearly 150 years. 

Charles Heidsieck wines have been served at many memorable celebrity-studded events. For instance, theChampagne House produced a “Royal Wedding Cuvee” to celebrate the union of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981.

Charles Heidsieck has had different owners, including the Henriot group (1976-1985) and the Rémy Cointreau wine and spirits group which bought the winery in 1985. 

After their takeover, the Charles Heidsieck Champagne House’s production dropped from 4 million bottles in ‘85 to a startling 250,000 bottles in 2011. 

In that same year, Charles Heidsieck was bought by EPI, a French luxury group. 

By 2020, the Champagne House dramatically increased production to a million wine bottles and released three unique 30-year-old non-vintage Champagnes (1990, 1995, and 2000.)

Time to Pop Open An Elegant Charles Heidsieck Bubbly!

The Charles Heidsieck Champagnes are well known for their remarkable quality and exquisite flavors. The winemaking expertise is evident in each bottle of complex, sensual, and intense Champagne - the perfect celebratory drink for any special occasion. 

If you wish to add an incredible Charles Heidsieck Champagne to your collection, simply sign up with Vinovest.