Description
Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs NV Gift Box 750ml is a non-vintage Champagne made only from Chardonnay, presented in a gift box. The Reims house draws on about 15 crus, mostly in the Côte des Blancs around Oger and Vertus, along with sites in the Montagne de Reims and at Montgueux in the Aube. The wine then spends about four years in the chalk cellars.
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Serve it chilled at about 8°C in a tulip glass, on its own or at the start of a meal. The classic matches are carpaccio of scallops with citrus, fresh oysters and young pecorino.
- 100% Chardonnay from about 15 crus
- About four years in the house’s chalk cellars
- Comes in a gift box
Charles-Camille Heidsieck founded the house at Reims in 1851, aged 29. A year later he travelled to the United States, and a New York newspaper gave him the nickname Champagne Charlie. In 1867 he bought a set of old chalk quarries, or crayères, dating from the Gallo-Roman era, as a place to mature his wines. They are now part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing and remain in use.
Time in those cellars is central to this wine. The legal minimum for non-vintage Champagne is 15 months, while this one spends about four years there, gaining texture and depth from contact with the lees. The blend also includes a share of older reserve wines, kept in stainless steel on their fine lees, which add complexity beyond a single harvest. Using 15 crus rather than a single village gives the house a wider range of Chardonnay to work from.
Look for white peach, candied citrus and lime, with honeysuckle and hazelnut behind them. The palate is velvety and fresh, with a taut line of acidity balanced by the generous style the house is known for.
A well-judged gift for someone who enjoys pure, Chardonnay-driven Champagne with some age behind it.
