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  • Country ranking ?

    600
  • Producer ranking ?

    4
  • Decanting time

    15min
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Grilled salmon with morel sauce, Sole Meunière & Grilled chicken

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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Jancis Robinson MW

“The one wine poured solo rather than one of a pair made up of 2002 and 2004 in this comparative tasting, so not really blind. Mytik cork. Not the tensest of these champagnes but beautifully balanced. Super-pleasant with everything in place. Great confidence. A good follow up to the copious 1995?”

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The Story

These cuvées are truly exceptional, as they are made up solely of wines from the same year. These years (1983, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2004, 2006, 2007) are recognized as extraordinary by our cellar masters and selected with extreme care for their unusual maturation capacities.

Blanc de Millénaires is a masterpiece cuvée from the Côte des Blancs in a legendary vintage. 
17 years’ worth of complexity and yet so fresh.

A precise selection of Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs - 4 Grands Crus and 1 Premier Cru. 
A unique emotion, an impression of eternity, much like the feeling one has when standing in the heart of the 2000-year old chalk cellars after which this wine is named.
17 years’ worth of complexity.

More than 15 years maturation in the heart of the 2000-year old gallo roman chalk cellars after which this wine is named.
This legendary wine, which has been awarded numerous medals and trophies, deserves an exceptional case: the gift box, which mirrors the curves of the crayères cellars, echoes the nobility of this location where nothing counts except time itself.

Today, all the pieces in the Charles Heidsieck puzzle are finally finding their place. Rémy Cointreau acquired the house of Piper Heidsieck in 1990, and since then a merging of the two houses has taken place. The company is now P&C Heidsieck, with all vinification and cellaring taking place under the same roof by the same qualified hands.And quite a winery it is. The companies left the crowded ancient cellars in the heart of Reims and moved to more spacious surroundings on the outskirts of the town in 2008. The new ultramodern design winery has all the latest winemaking equipment as well as fantastic touristic facilities.

However, nurturing two brands in one winery evidently poses some problems. At P&C Heidsieck differentiation is managed by separating the house styles and brand images. The flashy-red marketing driven brand Piper’s champagne is fresh, vibrant and easy to drink. The wines for the more restrained and classic Charles are rich and evolved, very much a crafted for the gastronomy.
When I visited the cellar at blending time, I was given an interesting tasting exercise. I sampled a dozen still wines from all three grape varieties and altering villages. My task was to decide whether the base wine should go to Charles of Piper depending on the style. The aspired styles for both houses became crystal-clear to me when I was picking structured wines for extended aging for Charles and lively fruit-forward samples for Piper.

The winemaking hands at P&C Heidsieck belong today to Régis Camus, who took over in 2002, when Daniel Thibault passed away unexpectedly. Fortunately, Camus had worked together with Thibault for years. Consequently, the change has not brought about drops in quality or alterations in style. Even though replacing someone as legendary as Thibault is not easy, Camus has shown his capabilities as a great blender especially via the steadily rising quality of Piper Heidsieck and the numerous trophies earned by Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve and Brut Rosé.

The secret is out. If you have not yet encountered Charles Heidsieck, now is the time to get to know Charlie!

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Wine Information

Weather: The 2004 vintage saw an initial winter of mild temperatures with intermittent storms and hail. The spring and summer months were hot and sunny and the sugar levels late in September produced good quality fruits. A huge harvest in general for the region. Overall many experts believe that 2004 is one of the greatest vintages of the last two decades.

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Vintage 2004

A great example of how large yields do not necessarily mean poor quality in Champagne. As a reaction to the previous year's low yields, the vines produced one of the largest crops on record. The growing season proceeded without major difficulties but the bumper crop called for bud thinning. August brought about cooler weather and some rains, increasing the risk of rot. The massive crop, averaging 13,990 kg/ha, was picked from September 18th onwards. The quality was a pleasant surprise; vibrant wines with appropriate intensity, refined charm and refreshing lightness. This vintage impresses me more and more, and I feel tempted to give it the full five stars. It comes with a rare balance of freshness, lightness, yet fine aromatic intensity. Post-release, this vintage has proven to be slow to age, and elegant wines are likely to keep on ageing gracefully. Dom Pérignon and Louis Roederer Cristal both excelled.

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Tasting note

color

Medium and Yellow

ending

Endless, Extensive and Pure

flavors

Toasty, Smoky, Mineral, Creamy, Buttery and Citrus

nose

Youthful, Pure, Complex and Refined

taste

Average in Acidity, Perfectly balanced, Concentrated, Well-Integrated, Youthful, Medium-bodied, Focused, Rich, Elegant and Dry

Verdict

Intelligent and Sophisticated

Written Notes

Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires Blanc de Blancs 2004 / Light yellow-gold. Pungent aromas of lemon, orange and pear, complicated by sexy floral and gingerbread qualities and hints of toasty lees and honey. Lively on entry, with lively citrus flavors, then deeper and smokier in the middle palate, offering juicy orchard fruit and honeyed nut flavors and good mineral snap. The finish lingers with suave floral and spice notes and excellent persistence

  • 97p

2004 Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Millenaires

Toasty and layered with wonderful depth and a long finish. This prestige cuvee offers wonderful concentration and is often under-valued in the market compared to its peers. Since 1983, the Blanc de Millenaires is only sourced from 5 villages of Cote de Blanc. 30,000 bottles made per year. Aged for 13 years on its lees and made only every 5-7 years.

Tasted in August 2019 in Helsinki, Finland. One of the 20 champagnes tasted. Classic and stylish, fine acidity, sophisticated with great length. Among the best ones in the tasting.

  • 96p

Glossy gold toned colour. Full-on creamy nose with rapidly emerging toastiness, ground coffee tones and pristine white fruit layers. A fine combination of fresh and dried fruit and yeast-complexed aromas. The palate is at the same time linear and driven but also wonderfully sumptuous with viscous texture bringing on seductive roundness. There is tension and feisty aciditybut in the background of the ever-increasing generosity. Between January and March 2018 the wine had opened up significantly started to gain Charles’s hallmark generosity. Hugely promising and already delivering. November 2016 disgorgement tasted, 9g/l dosage

  • 97p

Light, green yellow. Fresh, complex and rich toasty nose. Dry, fresh, intense palate with round medium-bodied creamy texture. Vivid, persistent and gently toasty finish. JL 92 (4/2018)

  • 92p
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Information

Origin

Reims, Champagne

Grapes

100% Chardonnay

Drinking temperature

7-9C

Other wines from this producer

Blanc de Blancs

Blanc de Millenaires Vinothèque

Brut Millésimé

Brut Réserve

Champagne Charlie

Champagne Charlie Vinothèque

Coteaux Champenois Blanc Montgueux

La Collection Crayères Millésime Brut

Rosé Millésime

Rosé Réserve

Rosé vintage

Vintage

Inside Information

Charles Heidsieck's prestige cuvée is a blend of pure Chardonnay from just five different Crus: Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger and Vertus. An absolute masterpiece from the Côte des Blancs, this cuvée spends more than fifteen years maturing in the heart of Charles Heidsieck's two-thousand-year-old chalk cellars. Such an outstanding creation deserves an exceptional case: the gift box, which mirrors the curves of the crayères cellars after which it is named (Blanc des Millénaires, or 'White of Millenia'), echoes the nobility of this location where nothing counts except time itself.

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