The Millésime 2018 cuvée crafted by Charles Heidsieck is a champagne born of an early harvest. This vintage yielded wines of great finesse and elegance, marked by a delicacy that lingers with every sip.
This cuvée opens on floral and spiced notes, before giving way to touches of yellow fruit and brioche. The palate reveals itself full-bodied and enveloping, carried by a beautifully rounded balance.
This is a bottle you can pour from the aperitif onwards, alongside parmesan gougères for instance, before bringing it to the table with a creamy Bresse chicken.
Le Terroir
The Millésime 2018 cuvée is a blend of:
- 55% Pinot Noir
- 45% Chardonnay
These Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes come from the villages of Ambonnay and Verzy, classified Grand Cru, and Tauxières-Mutry, classified Premier Cru, all located on the Grande Montagne de Reims, as well as Vertus, Premier Cru of the Côte des Blancs, and Trigny, a village in the Massif de Saint-Thierry, where Charles Heidsieck tends its vines.
On these terroirs, the chalk subsoil lends the wine its tension and precision, while the limestone feeds the vines with minerals that surface as a touch of salinity.
On this terroir, Pinot Noir brings structure and power to the wine, while Chardonnay lends it freshness and brightness.
La vinification
Emilien Erard, cellar master at Charles Heidsieck, blends this 2018 vintage from 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, a vessel that preserves the purity of the fruit without adding any oaky notes. Malolactic fermentation was carried through in full: it softens the wine's acidity and lends it a velvety texture on the palate rather than too sharp an edge.
The dosage, set at 8 g/L, falls within the Brut category, a classic dosage that lets the fruit shine while bringing a gentle roundness to the finish. All of these choices, shaped by Emilien Erard, result in a wine where the freshness of the Chardonnay answers the structure of the Pinot Noir, for a palate that is both taut and enveloping.
Le millésime 2018
The 2018 vintage will be remembered in Champagne as a year of contrasts: a wet, stormy spring followed by a hot, dry summer that reversed the trend entirely. This climatic swing worked in the vines' favour, allowing them to draw on abundant water reserves before ripening under generous sunshine. The grapes arrived at harvest in excellent health, with little rot and outstanding sanitary conditions, while generous yields helped replenish stocks after a leaner 2017. This swift, complete ripening gave wines that are fresh and fruit-driven, with an elegance that defines this cuvée drawn from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay harvested across the terroirs of the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs.
