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Wine Description
The Story
THE CHARLES’ WINE represents a world of elegance and indulgence. It is beautifully balanced and captivatingly complex. The quality demands meticulous attention. A fine-tuned dose of unconventional decisions at each step of the champagne production process.
Each wine has its own personality, its own generous tone. The fresh elegance of Chardonnay. The structure of Pinot Noir. The generosity of Meunier. Blending wines of the year with reserve wines is specific to Champagne; the perfect alliance demands exceptional expertise.
Amongst the House treasures, pride of place for the wine-making team lies in an incredible number of wines that have patiently been put aside for reserve. Selected and set aside for their aromatic potential, these wines are destined to play a role in the blending of a Charles Heidsieck champagne. A Brut Réserve cuvée contains a large proportion of reserve wines (40%), representing an average of 10 years of ageing. A blend pledging an unparalleled texture, a signature of the Charles style.
Time represents a 4th varietal for the Charles Heidsieck House.
Vintage 2009
This warm year started with a cold winter and mild spring temperatures. Early summer was variable but August and September provided ample sunshine and warmth contributing to fine grape health. Pinot Noir especially excelled. Grape harvest, of generally high sugar content yet soft acidity, started on September 8th. 2009 is a year of generous wines that showed well early. An apt example of a vintage of the recent era, in which retaining freshness poses more problems than attaining ripeness. Good grape health contributed to the overall quality, and despite the richness of the wines, heaviness did not end up being an issue. There is quite some heterogenity amongst the year's produce but the best seem truly age-worthy. The vintage's finest include Louis Roederer Cristal and Cristal Rosé, Dom Pérignon and Philipponnat Clos des Goisses.