98 point

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. A sweet, floral nose welcomes you with a warm embrace of vanilla and cherry before an earthy savoriness surprises you with notes of soil, leather, sun-dried tomato and oregano. The tomatoes sweeten on the palate joined by cherries and chili heat before a saline finish. A wine that defines itself with fruit so alive you could take its pulse, and contoured, seductive tannins.

97 point

The only Blanc des Millénaires made during Thierry Roset’s brief tenure as Cellar Master of Charles Heidsieck before his intimely death after the 2014 harvest. The wine was blended by Cyril Brun. It has seen less time on lees than previous 2007 and 2006 wines – between eight and nine years rather than 12 – but the decision feels apt for this beautifully delicate, bright and serene edition of one of Champagne’s top, if lesser-known, prestige blanc de blancs., emphasising purity over creamy richness. There are plenty of ripe aromatics, with fuzzy fragrant apricots, mandarins and even some fresh mango playing with hazelnut and coffee macaron complexity just starting to fire up. There’s a quiet, calm insistance to the palate, more similar to the 2004 than the tension and drama of the 2007 or the generosity of the 2006. It seems set to be one of the vintage’s top performers.

97 point

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 point

The launch of Blanc des Millénaires 2004 and 2006 at 15 years of age and 2007 and 14 makes 2014 appear young at a full decade of age in its radiant, pale straw hue. The vector of purity presented by the top crus of the Côte des Blancs in this underrated season is magnificent, beautifully wrapped in the creamy, caressing texture and generosity that define Charles. There is an immediacy to this release that reflects a warm and dry harvest in beautifully seductive white peach, fig and all the magnificence of a decade of maturity in brioche, mixed spice and vanilla cream. It presents magnificent line and length, culminating a finish of glittering, showering chalk minerality.

95 point

The eighth rendition of this cuvée, the 2014 Brut Blanc de Blancs Blanc des Millénaires evokes a complex, sweet bouquet of candied lemon, confit citrus, blanched almonds, brioche, honeycomb and ripe orchard fruits. Full-bodied, broad-shouldered and ample, it features a velvety attack and a vinous, fleshy core of fruit, with a textural mid-palate that leads to a spicy, long and delicate finish. This is a stunning new release of this cuvée, showcasing its depth and elegance.

96 point

Entirely Chardonnay, the bright straw/silver-colored the 2014 Champagne Blanc Des Millénaires has light reduction with beautiful smoky framing as well as notes of white peach, tangerine, fresh flowers, and chalky salinity. Medium-bodied, it has a refined mousse, a silky texture, and a long, elegant finish. It’s not an obvious wine at this stage, but it’s pleasing. It will benefit from time in bottle and drink well over the next couple decades. I like the fruitiness and freshness on the palate. It should pair well with shellfish.

point

Pale straw yellow with silver reflections and a very fine mousse. Fine nuances of baked goods, white almonds and hazelnut on the nose, underlaid with fresh nectarines and Golden Delicious apple and a hint of mandarin oranges - a multi-faceted bouquet. Complex, taut and tightly meshed on the palate, it shows all the advantages of a Chardonnay in a great year - finely structured, mineral and clinging, with a salty, almost ethereal feeling to the long finish. A great food companion.

95 point

Disgorged in 2023 with a dosage of nine grams per liter, the 2014 Blanc de Blancs Blanc des Millénaires rises from the glass with aromas of lemon confit, Anjou pear, roasted nuts and burnt buttered toast, mingled with hints of struck flint. Medium-bodied and elegantly muscular, the palate is rich and vinous, with ripe yet vibrant acidity and a pillowy mousse, culminating in a long, chalky finish. It is a charming rendition that is evolving slowly.