Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millesime 2018

96 James Suckling 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. Dosage 8 g/L.

96 Wine Spectator A toasty Champagne, with a rich range of baked cassis, cherry, brioche, vanilla, saffron and spun honey aromas and flavors buoyed and balanced by vivid, lemony acidity. Shows depth and length, with the profile expanding on the finely detailed, vivacious mousse and echoing on the persistent, focused finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Disgorged April 2024. Drink now through 2045.

94 Jeb Dunnuck Émilien Erard’s first vintage working at Heidsieck, the 2018 Champagne Millesime Brut has a shimmering yellow hue, while the nose reveals notes of ripe peaches, with a fleshy stone fruit character that is characteristic of the house. Disgorged in 2024, this 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay blend, with no oak, was aged entirely in stainless steel tanks. They were aiming to preserve the freshness of this vintage to enhance its aging potential. The mousse is frothy and floral, expressive and open in this vintage. Drink 2026-2050.

94 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate In the context of so extreme a vintage, Charles Heidsieck’s 2018 Brut Millésimé is a wine of considerable success. Disgorged in May 2024 with a dosage of eight grams per liter, it soars from the glass with aromas of pomelo, pear and lemon confit, mingling with brioche and jasmine, framed by a deft touch of smoky reduction. On the palate, it is full-bodied and enveloping, with a fleshy and charming fruit core, enlivened by ripe but vibrant acidity and a pillowy mousse, concluding with a toasty, saline-tinged finish. Flamboyant and immediately seductive, it promises a broad window of enjoyment. The blend consists of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay.

93 Decanter Charles Heidsieck's 2018 is an unusual assemblage which successfully finds some focus and energy in this generous, sometimes slightly diffuse ripe vintage. Alongside plenty of juicy stone fruit Pinot Noir and sweet, sunny tangerine there's an appealing snap of bittersweet grapefruit Chardonnay, a large part of which unusually hails from sandy Trigny just north of Reims. The stylish toasty nougat richness, set against the clean-cut precision and easy approachability of the house, is certainly on show, and both 2018s present fine mid-term drinking.