A bit of a history fanatic? We know we are! Being the wine nut that we are, we try to get our hands on any back vintages and re-live those moments. We are sure that it’s the same for many oenophiles - the thought of drinking a bit of the past sends chills down the spine for many!
At the house of Charles Heidsieck, it is all about history. And their cellars prove that with many great treasures yet to be discovered by its loyal fans. Their belief is that time is the extra element, the ‘fourth varietal’…the soul behind their champagnes. With La Collection Crayères, they showcase editions of specific cuvees in older vintages to whet any oenophile’s appetite! This year, they are jazzing things up with their fourth edition, where they feature the historical vintages, 1990 and 2000, as well as the non-vintage Bruts ‘mis-en-cave’ collection (1990, 1995, 2000, 2001 and 1987 in jeroboam format).
For those who are long-time Charles Heidsieck fans, you will know that the legendary cellarmaster, the late Daniel Thibault, created this term, ‘mis-en-cave’ (MEC), to indicate the year at which the wine was bottled and laid down for bottle fermentation. Why is this important, you ask? (Great question.) This shows that even non-vintage champagnes can equally be lively, freshness-retaining yet complex and age-worthy. Charles Heidsieck is the first house to show such exceptional capacity of its non-vintage Brut to develop incredible complexities over the years. One can check what the MEC is on each bottle by looking at the back label. Our current Brut Reserve is 2017 MEC.
But what’s even MORE exciting is that Wine Please! took part in their tasting this month for the release of the non-vintage Bruts ‘mis-en-cave’. ‘The Sun Never Sets on Charles’ was this masterclass and we tasted with some of the top sommeliers around the world, along with the team at Charles Heidsieck. This evening featured 1987 (first year of MEC), 1988, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2001 and 2017. While some Charlie’d for breakfast, we savoured our bubbles at the end of the day.
Truly, a first-time experience for us – can you tell that we’re still over the moon!?
Keen to get your hands on the latest La Collection Crayères? They should arrive at the end of November so contact us for more details. Don’t you worry - we’ll hook you up!
