‘– Do you know Charles Heidsieck?
– The man or the champagne?
– It doesn’t matter. The two are inseparable!’

Charles is gripped by wanderlust. He is a forthright dandy - and dedicated to his champagne. His eloquence commands admiration. His passion is captivating. His exceptional champagnes reflect his personality: iconic and unique.

For him, no challenge is too great, no border too remote.
His dreams still hold true today.

Discover Charles Heidsieck. Learn about the man, his champagne, his charm as well as the subtleties of his wine’s character and aromas.

Charles-Camille Heidsieck is born in 1822, 37 years after his great uncle founded the Champagne House Heidsieck & Co.

Growing up in the midst of the vineyards, young Charles was nourished by the love of his mother, Émilie Henriot, and his sisters, and raised in an environment shaped by Reims traditions and Prussian rigour.

A cultivated man, noted for his integrity and elegance – but not lacking in ambition. Contrary to all expectations, Charles does not hesitate to take control of his destiny…

In 1851, a 29 year-old Charles tempts fate and founds a champagne house that is a true reflection of his character.

‘The vineyards must remain in the hands of the growers and their expertise’.
Charles chooses to leave the vineyards in the hands of those who know them best, nurturing their talent, their knowledge and their respect for the terroir.

A pragmatist, he decides to concentrate on producing and ageing wine, and purchases forty-seven Chalk cellars dating from the 11th century. This labyrinth of underground alcoves and galleries offers ideal conditions for ageing and enhancing his wines. His intuition will be rewarded.

Driven by confidence and instinct, Charles ensures his wine reflects his personality, going so far as to give it his first name. This decision causes quite a stir in Champagne.

However, it is not enough for this cosmopolitan creator… he craves a wider audience for his exceptional wines – the world awaits.

In 1852, trusting his intuition, Charles leaves for America, the promised land still untouched by the champagne trade. If there is to be champagne in America, it will be his and no other.

A charismatic dandy, popular with the powerful and the press. An undeniable icon, perceived as an ambassador for champagne and France, Charles seduces New York society and its business bourgeoisie. Furthermore, he wins over the South, including wild Louisiana. He becomes known as ‘Champagne Charlie’.

On returning to Europe, he turns his attention first to Belgium and then England. Lauded and decorated at the Universal Exhibitions, his labels soon start to sparkle in all the royal courts. If Europe and the United States have succumbed to the charm of his fine bubbles, a greater conquest still awaits. Having gained territorial control, he must now conquer time and continue to produce exceptional wines year after year, century after century! A challenge for which he is more than a match.

To attain and maintain excellence requires constant vigilance. Charles understood this and we continue to ensure that this balance is maintained. A perfect blend resulting from our decision-making at every stage of production – decisions always informed by the pursuit of excellence, rather than convention.

The Brut Réserve, our iconic cuvée, comprises the three champagne varietals in equal measure, taken from 60 carefully selected crus. The very essence of Champagne in a bottle. The 40% reserve wines used in the blend are on average 10 years old. Once bottled, the wine is aged for a minimum of three years in chalk cellars, or ‘crayéres’. An exceptional ageing process for an extraordinary wine.

Each wine has its own personality, its own affirmed and generous character.
Freshness and elegance from the Chardonnay. Structure from the Pinot Noir. A generous helping of fruit from the Pinot Meunier.
While the decision to blend equal proportions of the year’s varietals is a strong commitment, to harmonise them demands an exceptional savoir-faire.
With a wealth of secrets passed on by Daniel Thibault, star cellar master of Champagne, Thierry Roset, Cellar Master, has been cultivating this art for a long time for the benefit of Charles Heidsieck.

Thierry Roset creates delicious harmonies with aplomb, using the notes obtained from vinification in separate vats. He plays with this delicate balance between complexity, depth and texture.
And since the reserve wines develop with time, Charles Heidsieck lets them express themselves, carefully following their progress as they evolve in silent, dimly-lit chalk cellars.

Depth and texture. These key words take on their full meaning as we vinify cru by cru, varietal by varietal. The demand for refinement is apparent at each stage.

Whereas the Appellation stipulates a minimum 15-month ageing period, Charles Heidsieck ages its non-vintage champagnes for at least three years. Stored in a maze of forty-seven chalk cellars, they lie in galleries twenty metres underground where the temperature remains a constant 10%. A peaceful haven, ideal for ageing gracefully.

‘Wherever there is change, there must be continuity’

Loyal and determined, for the past 25 years Thierry Roset has held the tiller, firstly alongside Daniel Thibault and then Régis Camus. From production to oenology, the Charles Heidsieck Cellar Master knows the complete inner workings of the House. Dedicated to creating wines which honour the epicurean nature of the founder, he has decided to reduce the number of crus from which grapes can be taken from 120 to 60 crus, each wine earning its place only if it truly reflects the character of Charles. Like the founder, ensuring the excellence of Charles Heidsieck’s wines is behind all of Thierry Roset’s decisions.

If Charles were to meet Thierry today, the founder would doubtless express his admiration to his heir.

Charles Heidsieck champagne is one of the most recognised by the profession. The awards belong to the cellar masters who, over the course of the past two decades, have been named Sparkling Winemaker of the Year thirteen times in the International Wine Challenge (IWC).

The champagnes too have been awarded 11 Grand Or medals, 101 Gold medals (37 between 2008 and 2011), 25 Silver medals and some 32 trophies.

The prestigious Blanc des Millénaires cuvée received a Gold medal in the 2012 IWC. The iconic Brut Réserve cuvée was crowned Wine of the Year by the 2012 Bettane and Desseauve guide. In November 2012, in the Wine Spectator magazine, the Brut Réserve and Rosé Réserve scored 93 points, the Brut Millésime 2000 and the Rosé Millésime 1999 scored 94 points, and the Blanc des Millénaires 1995 scored 96 points.