James Suckling 93 pts, Wine Spectator 93 pts, Wine Advocate 92 pts, Wine Enthusiast 92 pts

Charles Heidsieck is one of the grandes maisons of Champagne, founded in Reims in 1851 by Charles-Camille Heidsieck, the flamboyant merchant who became known as “Champagne Charlie” for his missionary work in promoting Champagne in the United States. The house is currently regarded as one of the finest in Champagne for the quality of its non-vintage Brut Réserve, a wine that has consistently outperformed its price category and earned scores from multiple approved publications that rival those of far more expensive prestige cuvées from other houses. The key to Charles Heidsieck’s Brut Réserve is the extraordinary proportion of reserve wines: approximately 50% of the blend is drawn from a library of reserve wines averaging a decade in age, giving the wine a complexity and depth that is genuinely unusual at this level of the market.

The Brut Réserve is a blend of approximately 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, sourced from around 60 crus across the Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs and Vallée de la Marne. The current release is based on the 2019 or 2020 base vintage, enriched by the reserve wines stored in steel tanks at the house. This library of reserves, incorporating wines from as many as 10 to 15 different previous vintages, provides the tasting complexity, depth and mature character that distinguishes Charles Heidsieck’s approach from houses that blend with a smaller or younger reserve component. The magnum format, with its slower and more even development, is particularly well-suited to a wine of this structural ambition.

James Suckling awarded the current Brut Réserve 93 points, Wine Spectator 93, Wine Advocate 92 and Wine Enthusiast 92, a consistency of high scoring across four publications that places this wine firmly among the finest non-vintage Champagnes available at any price. Wine Spectator described a wine of “richly toasted brioche and roasted hazelnut” character with a “long, creamy and harmonious” palate. The Brut Réserve is frequently cited by Champagne specialists as offering the best value-to-quality ratio of any non-vintage Champagne from a recognised grande maison.

Deep gold with fine, persistent bubbles and a complex nose of toasted brioche, roasted hazelnut, ripe orchard fruit, crème brûlée and the distinctive aged-reserves maturity that sets Charles Heidsieck apart from younger-blend competitors. Full-bodied, creamy and harmonious on the palate with excellent natural acidity and a long, complex finish of brioche and citrus. Drink now through 2028.

An enticing version, with richly toasted brioche and roasted hazelnut on the nose transitioning to underscore flavors of ripe black cherry, crème de cassis, gingerbread, lime blossoms and crystallized honey. Long, creamy and harmonious. — Wine Spectator