Charles Heidsieck

Blanc des Millénaires 2007 | Bottle 75cl

Description

This 7th edition of Blanc des Millénaires is a marriage of great Chardonnays and rigorous winemaking. Only six other vintages have seen the light of day under this name in thirty years (1983, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2004 and 2006). Blanc des Millénaires is part of a long temporality, one that reveals itself slowly and leaves its mark on memories.

For this Blanc des Millénaires, 5 of the finest Côte des Blancs crus were selected for their ability to evolve, but also to express all their richness when aged in the cellar: Oger for its smoothness and structure, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger for its balance, Avize for its minerality, Cramant for its complexity and Vertus for its freshness and floral notes.

This exceptional cuvée has benefited from nearly 15 years' ageing, including 10 years on lees in thousand-year-old crayères, from which the wine takes its name.

The wine has a pale gold color with light green reflections, characteristic of the Chardonnay grape variety and contrasting with the previous vintage.

On the nose, the chalky minerality of the Côte des Blancs is omnipresent, with accents of toast and smoke. After aeration, fresh citrus notes emerge, with grapefruit, yuzu and quince, lending a lovely liveliness to this delicate bouquet, blended with creamy nuances and a subtle touch of salted butter caramel.

After a tense attack, the enveloping texture arrives with accents of lemon meringue pie and saline notes. The generosity is there, and will continue to develop with age.

The very nature of this vintage means it's best served as an aperitif or at the beginning of a meal, but it's also a perfect match for seafood and certain cheeses.