03/06/2022 03:50
After 37 years, connoisseurs and enthusiasts seeking the gift of time can rediscover Charles Heidsieck’s signature cuvée - Champagne Charlie.
“Some moments are nice, some are nicer, some are even worth writing about,” so goes the famous quote about history. The re-release of Champagne Charlie is one of ‘those’ historic moments.
After a long flight, and during the course of a chilly evening in Reims, I became the fourth person in the world to try it, this past April. It was never going to be an ordinary evening, anyway. I was invited out to dinner by Stephen Leroux, Charles Heidsieck’s Chief Executive, who is anything but dull.
He revealed the Maison’s best kept secret, in a way that only Stephen could do. So casually presenting the legendary champagne from it's wine sleeve and placing it on the table.
“You have to understand, this is super-secret,” he said to me as he unfurled its muselet. It was an extraordinary moment in time; not in the least for me to be brought into the inner sanctum of Charles, but for the beginning of the cuvée’s resurgence.
In re-releasing Champagne Charlie, Charles Heidsieck reconnects with a tradition, paying homage to its founder, Charles-Camille Heidsieck (1822 - 1893). It began in the late 1970s, when Charles Heidsieck's acclaimed Cellar Master, Daniel Thibaut, worked with the founder's family to develop a champagne with 'Charles' signature'. His efforts led to five historic cuvées: 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1985.
Why only five vintages? It’s no secret that Charles Heidsieck went through a series of upheavals in recent decades following its acquisition from Rémy-Cointreau in 1985. Under this corporate superstructure, Charles – as it’s affectionately known – was relegated to third priority, behind other acquisitions, Krug and Piper-Heidsieck, which were seen as more commercially attractive. Sales plummeted, resulting in an abundance of surplus stock. The result, however, proved fortuitous in the company’s resurgence from 2011, when it was purchased by the EPI group, re-positioning its brand with clear stylistic difference. Charles’ unmistakably rich, complex and textural profile comes from this ample repository, so perfectly stored, and for long periods of time. Today these older wines are celebrated across Charles’ cuvées - especially its non-vintage blends – and now for the benefit of Champagne Charlie.
This special release commemorates the bicentennial of Charles-Camille Heidsieck's birth with a twist on the original version. Unlike its predecessors, the new Champagne Charlie is actually labelled as a multi-vintage with close to 80 percent reserve wines and 20 percent from a base of 2016. And here’s the twist - though the original versions indicated a ‘vintage’ year, they in fact contained a significant amount of reserves. Once again, we see the story of these older wines playing out consistently with the historic identity of the House which current Cellar Master, Cyril Brun, says he took inspiration from.
And here’s the twist - though the original versions were declared ‘vintage’, they in fact contained a significant amount of reserves.
“My first impression was overwhelming; the freshness and aromatic intensity, the silky saline finish, could be systematically found in all the wines as if these qualities transcended the effect of vintage. It was the key!” he says.
My own thoughts, on that cold evening, were just the same. This is an aromatically rich champagne with a palate so fine and silky that it’s almost weightless – a real joy to drink. It makes you want to swagger and pirouette at the same time.
My own thoughts, on that cold evening, were just the same. This is an aromatically rich champagne with a palate so fine and silky that it’s almost weightless – a real joy to drink. It makes you want to swagger and pirouette at the same time.
Using reserves, Cyril says, is a ‘symbol of greater freedom of creation’. And a nod to a legend who had a talent for procuring ideas around freedom and happiness.
That legend, Charles-Camille Heidsieck, may have been an entrepreneur and innovator, but he was also free-spirited and fun-loving. He was the very first merchant to make the journey to the United States to handle business on location, all the while impressing high society with his joie de vivre, knowledge, and skills with a rifle. In less than five years he managed to sell 300,000 bottles of champagne, thanks to his celebrity, which gave rise to the popular jazz song ‘Champagne Charlie’, released in 1858, and a string of fictionalised movies and biographies.
“The aim is to capture the spirit of Champagne Charlie,” Stephen said to me that night. That they have. Refined, audacious, elegant and playful – it is all of these things.
First thoughts on Champagne Charlie
The ultimate composition favours chardonnay at 52 percent, followed by pinot noir at 48 percent, and includes 80 percent reserves, up to 25 years old, with the balance from 2016 Aӱ grand cru pinot noir. Dosage sits at 7g/L.
What’s striking is the paradox between the champagne’s tremendous youth and maturity – think exotic as well as orchard fruits followed by pastries and sweet spice. It’s dry, fresh and crisp with wonderful salinity, powerfully driven, harmonious, balanced, and lays down a seductive texture, that feels light and airy, with a length that goes on and on.
The only downside in all of this is its super-premium price and tiny availability. Of course, this will only add more excitement to the frenzy. But, after all, you are drinking history.
In Australia, the RRP is $900.
Exclusive
Champagne Charlie Launch Dinner
with Stephen Leroux, Chief Executive
SOFITEL HOTEL, ADELAIDE
21 JULY 2022
$550
Words by Sara Underdown
Photography supplied by Charles Heidsieck