In 1851, at the age of 29, Charles Heidsieck founded his own Champagne house after growing up surrounded by grapes with a great-uncle who ran his own winery. Charles quickly became known for pushing the envelope and experimenting with new methods, a risque philosophy during a period of following suit and bowing to tradition, but one that paid off as his name – and wines – took off around the world. Since 2011, the Descours family (part of French luxury conglomerate, EPI) has run the house, though they continue with the ethos and processes that the Heidsieck family set in motion – like aging their Champagnes in ancient chalk cellars for at least four years, and using specifically-shaped bottles, the “crayere bouteille,” meant to mimic the natural arc of the cellars.

Charles Heidsieck was one of the first houses to ever create a 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs in its 1949 vintage. Two of the house’s specialties shine through in this non-vintage Brut: their innate mastery of blending multiple vintages and terroirs, as well as their grand execution of crafting stunning white wines. Coming from 10 different, highly sought-after Chardonnay crus, the grape blend is based on the 2016 vintage with 45-50% Côte des Blancs fruit, mostly from Vertus and Oger. The rest comes from villages to the east and south, with a splash of 25-30% reserve wines up to 10 years old thrown into the mix. A Brut dosage of 9 g/L amplifies the roundness and fruit flavors while preserving the signature Charles Heidsieck silkiness in a bottling that is undeniably exceptional now, and only stands to get better over the next 5 to 10 years.

Pop this open and notice its lovely straw color and a faint hint of iodine on the nose that also repeats on the palate – a side effect of the wine’s mineral influence and lengthy aging time in 2,000-year-old chalk cellars. As such, you’ll also experience a distinct taste of both salt and chalk that enhances the interest of this wine, blended with some caramel and fig notes that really turn up the volume. A number of bright fruits such as poached pears, dried apricot, and lemon peel gather at the front of the tongue, while undertones of roasted hazelnuts, honey, brioche, cinnamon, and ginger add unending intrigue. This is as adventurous as a trek through all 10 of the crus the fruit is sourced from – a downright crusade of pleasure that you’ll be glad you joined! For $60 off retail and the best price in the U.S., you would do well to snag at least a couple of these 95 point, pedigreed, long-appreciated, and amazingly complex Champagnes!