Thirty-seven vintages. One bottle. Back to 1937.
Charles Heidsieck marks its 175th year with a jeroboam that blends thirty-seven vintages of the house, the oldest laid down in 1937. Ten venues across Australia will open one. Lamont's is the first.
Amanda Aguilera is bringing a remarkable cross-section of Charles Heidsieck, from the house classics through to its most prestigious releases. Brut Réserve and Blanc de Blancs are joined by the 2018 Brut Millésime and 2018 Brut Millésime Rosé, alongside Rosé Réserve. At the top of the line-up sit two vintages of Blanc des Millénaires, 2014 and the extraordinary 100-point 2017, before the centrepiece of the tasting: ‘The Soul of Charles’ 175th Anniversary Jeroboam, a singular cuvée assembled from 37 vintages reaching back to 1937. A tasting that moves from the contemporary expression of Charles Heidsieck through to the very history of the house.
Saturday, September 19th
Hosted by Amanda Aguilera of Charles Heidsieck Australia
Masterclass: 3-5pm | 8 wines & canapés | $195
About ‘The Soul of Charles’
A masterpiece of time and savoir-faire, created in celebration of the House’s 175th anniversary, this exceptional Jeroboam unveils an unprecedented assemblage of 37 existing champagnes, spanning from 1937 to 2020. Each wine, whether drawn from remarkable vintages or meticulously crafted nonvintage blends…has been selected with absolute precision, then blended together as one would create a work of art.
Charles Heidsieck Official
The Label
The label itself pays tribute to an iconic design from the Maison’s heritage (an original label created by Charles Heidsieck himself in 1866), reinterpreted with elegance to reflect both legacy and modernity. A symbol of continuity, it mirrors the spirit of this rare composition, where history is not merely preserved, but elevated.
The original label created by Camille Charles Heidsieck in 1866
Champagne Charlie, and the Chalk Beneath Reims
Charles-Camille Heidsieck founded the house in 1851 and promptly sailed for New York, where he sold champagne with such style that the American press christened him Champagne Charlie. The nickname outlived him, and so did the house style: rich, slow, built on an unusually high proportion of reserve wines and long ageing in the Gallo-Roman chalk crayères beneath Reims, which the house has used since the nineteenth century.
That reserve library is the whole point. Where most houses blend a handful of back vintages into a non-vintage cuvée, Charles Heidsieck has always drawn on more, and older. The anniversary jeroboam is the logical extreme of that philosophy: thirty-seven vintages in one bottle, the oldest from 1937.
The Champagne Charlie legend is intertwined with the soul of a man who bequeathed so many new ideas to his House, and who knew what it was to be an entrepreneur, a gentleman and an innovator. Free-spirited and adventurous, his inspiration was enough to encourage his heirs today to recreate a cuvée in his name and, more particularly, in his nickname.
The Charles Heidsieck House and the spirit of Charlie invites you to savor times gone by while letting yourself be transported by a desire to form emotions, friendships and lasting dreams. Time has the power to amplify happiness.
Blanc des Millénaires is the other side of the house. One hundred percent Chardonnay from grand cru villages of the Côte des Blancs, released only in exceptional years and only after a decade or more in the crayères. It is one of the great prestige cuvées of Champagne and it is almost never seen in vertical.
Meet your host… Amanda Aguilera
The Wine List
Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve NV, Our Price $117
A tremendous testimony to the endurance of Brut Reserve, at 16 years of age after eight years on lees and eight on cork, this is a Charles that sets a wonderful contrast between the crunchy, bright citrus zest energy of the sensational 2008 season and the layered complexity that spans brioche, crème pâtissière, roast nuts, burnt butter with the tertiary complexity of truffles and dark spice. It holds impressive persistence, nuanced with honey and toffee.
96 Points, Tyson Stelzer, champagne.guide
Really fine bubbles. Extremely intense, showing dried apples, peaches and light apricots with brioche and pie crust. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture and a long, long finish. Very subtle. A blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. 10% of the 2020 base wine fermented and aged in barrel.
95 Points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs NV, Our Price $151
A fine, mature and structured Champagne, this is full of fruit but also with a crispness. Its mineral character has softened but still gives a fine texture. This fine wine, with fruit from the Côte des Blancs, is ready to drink.
95 Points, Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
Charles Heidsieck Brut Millésime 2018, Our Price $205
Very polished. Medium-bodied with lovely, sophisticated yet subtle flavors of dried apricots, grapefruit and peaches. Finely structured with creamy bubbles that give tension and focus. Touch of salt. Long and satisfying. A blend of 55% pinot noir and 45% chardonnay.
96 Points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
The nose is rich and exuberant, with toasted hazelnuts layered over citrus oil, orange peel, honeysuckle and fresh honey. Bright acidity keeps the palate lively and linear, drawing out the most seductive notes of pear, toffee, salty butter and brioche. Stunningly balanced and complex, it's a joy to explore sip by sip.
96 Points, Anna-Christina Cabrales, Wine Enthusiast
NV Charles Heidsieck ‘The Soul of Charles’, Jeroboam [Launch]
Thirty-seven vintages, back to 1937
Elegant maturity and remarkable aromatic complexity. Both fleshy and dried yellow fruits, citrus nuances, most notably blood orange buttery character, toasted hazelnut, and lightly caramelized macadamia hints of gingerbread emerge, followed by delicate touches of candied ginger. Subtle balance between richness and freshness, showcasing Charles’ iconic velvety texture and a remarkable length on the finish.
Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 2014, Our Price $474
This is an iconic wine, a pure expression of Chardonnay. With its intense crisp apple aroma and just the first hint of toasty maturity, the Champagne is perfectly in balance. Drink this fine wine now.
98 Points, Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
A compacted, dense blanc de blancs with real intensity, showing tarte tatin and sliced white peaches. Full-bodied. A lovely combination of dried apples, pie crust and underlying acidity. Some subtle brioche. Hints of cream and salted butter. From the villages of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Vertus, Cramant and Avize. 8.5 years on the lees. Dosage 9 g/L. Disgorged 2023.
97 Points, James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
The 2014 Champagne Blanc Des Millénaires is a blend sourced from the five villages of Avize, Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Cramant, and Vertus. It has fantastic salinity, with a refined pinpoint mousse, and is medium-bodied. Although it does not lack for concentration, it's perfumed and floral, with notes of shortbread, fresh pastry, and vanilla. It's a fabulous and enticing vintage with lots of clarity and focus. Mouthwatering and structured this is a class act that should have no problem aging another three or more decades. (Champagne's New Era Solidifies in 2025, 15 Dec 2025)
96+ Points, Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com
Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 2017, Our Price $500
A very precise Blanc de Millenaires with subtle aromas of honeysuckle, jasmine, stones, steel, chalk, watercress and some white peaches. Medium- to full-bodied with transparency and clarity that come through clearly and go on and on, The first year they used wine from the grand cru village of Chouilly. Complete and unique. Refined and structured at the same time.
100 Points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
Charles Heidsieck Rose Reserve NV, Our Price $158
A stunning old Charles Rosé energised by the brightness of 2008 and the glittering chalk minerality of ancient geology. Served blind, we all guessed 2012 or 2014, such was its freshness. Strawberry and raspberry fruit is underlined by magnificent layers of strawberry tart, brioche and nougat, holding sensational line and length, energised by the tangy brightness of inimitable 2008 acidity.
96 Points, Tyson Stelzer, champagne. guide
Onion skin colour in the glass with an alluring nose of citrus and hints of honeyed autolysis. Dark fruit elements and hints of black pepper. This is complex and classy, and evidence of very skilful winemaking. There is a whisper of savoury decadence garlanding the finish.
95 Points, (Michael Edwards, Simon Field MW, Xavier Rousset MS), Decanter Panel Tasting
Charles Heidsieck Brut Millésime Rosé 2018, Our Price $237
The nose is generous, with fresh raspberries layered over toasted brioche and a pinch of flaky salt. The palate is equally expressive, lifted by bright, refreshing acidity that carries raspberry, rhubarb, white stone, brioche and a subtle saline finish. Structured and poised, it has the acidity and nuance to develop beautifully over time.
96 Points, Anna-Christina Cabrales, Wine Enthusiast