Wine Advocate (97)

The 2017 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is superb, mingling aromas of pear, mandarin and stone fruit with hints of fresh bread, pastry cream and iodine in an inviting mélange. Full-bodied, layered and fleshy, it's a concentrated, chiseled Ursules that's built for the cellar, with racy acids and a long, penetrating finish. While the reputation of the 2017 vintage in Champagne isn't great, you wouldn't know that from tasting this brilliant cuvée. As readers will remember, Les Ursules was the vineyard with which Cédric Bouchard began Roses de Jeanne, and he notes that of all the wines in his range, it's always the highest in acidity, the slowest to ferment and the slowest to conclude its malolactic fermentation.

Wine Advocate (96)

Bouchard's 2018 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is a particular success, wafting from the glass with aromas of white flowers, crisp red apple, clear honey, wet stones and crushed mint. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, it's pure, racy and concentrated, with impressive tension and finesse that transcends this frequently blowsy, open-knit vintage. Exigent agronomy and timely harvesting pays off, once again.

Wine Advocate (96)

Bouchard's 2018 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is a particular success, wafting from the glass with aromas of white flowers, crisp red apple, clear honey, wet stones and crushed mint. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, it's pure, racy and concentrated, with impressive tension and finesse that transcends this frequently blowsy, open-knit vintage. Exigent agronomy and timely harvesting pays off, once again.

Wine Advocate (97+)

One of the high points of this range of releases is the 2019 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules, a medium to full-bodied, taut and chiseled wine redolent of white flowers, crisp green orchard fruit, freshly baked bread, orange blossom and wet stones. Dense and layered, with a sweet core of fruit underpinned by brisk acids, it's one of Bouchard's cooler terroirs, so it's no surprise to see it succeed so completely in the warm 2019 vintage.

Jeb Dunnuck (92)

This year began with rapid maturity, followed by a hot and dry summer, with a lot of concentration in the grapes. Pouring a bright medium yellow hue, the NV Champagne Blanc De Blancs Brut is based on 2020 and was disgorged in 2024. Made with 30% reserve wine, with 5-6% of the wine vinified in oak barrels, it has a lush and smooth, rounded, pillowy mousse, with ripe fruit of meringue and lemon curd. Classic for a reason, drink this over the coming 10 years.

Jancis Robinson (19)

Still greenish gold. Still lots of freshness on the nose. Noble and magnificent. Savoury and yet lacy. Full phenolic ripeness (a bit more than 2004, which is currently embargoed). Dances on the palate. Lovely, very lightly toasty, mature Chardonnay flavours but definitely tight-knit champagne not burgundy! So clean.

Wine Enthusiast (98)

This is an iteration of a legendary Champagne. Perfectly balanced, still packed with white fruit but just touching nuttiness, the wine is at its peak. Celebrating one of the great Champagne vintages of this century, this wine is totally memorable and magnificent. Folio Fine Wine Partners.

Wine Spectator (96)

A textbook blanc de blancs in a relatively opulent style, with ample grilled nut, brioche and spice character alongside classic flavors of poached apricot, kumquat, oyster shell and lemon blossom. This rich profile is well-defined by racy acidity, sleek and well-cut, driving the long, lacy finish. A beauty. Drink now through 2035. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 4,500 cases made, 185 cases imported.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

One of the great Blanc de Blancs Champagnes, this wine only hints of its age and maturity. Up front, the wine has layers of white fruits and a steely texture. It is behind those features that the brioche and almond character begins to show. This is a wonderfully balanced wine, ready to drink now.

Matthew Jukes (19.5+)

2014 Blanc des Millénaires is only the 8th vintage of this wine released since the inaugural wine in 1983. Let’s not beat around the bush – is a spectacular Champagne. To put this wine to the test, I opened my sample bottle and tasted it with four wine trade Titans. A buyer, a retailer, a journalist and an importer were all struck dumb by this wine. I told them they were not allowed to spread the word until today – which as I understand it is the release date. I set the scene for this tasting by opening a magnum of another famous Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru before pouring Blanc de Millénaires to ensure that everyone’s’ palates were in match fit condition to assess our hero wine. After the cooing and nodding abated regsarding the much-loved magnum, I popped the cork on BdM and poured one of the most colourless Champagnes I can remember. And then the magic started. After the sensual creaminess of our ‘apéritif Blanc de Blancs’ it was immediately apparent that ’14 Blanc de Millénaires was cut from very different cloth. This is a raspingly refreshing wine. It is so precision-cut you might want to wear gloves. There is no doubt this unnervingly keen creation is not one for beginners. And if you feel a tear fighting to set free from a loose duct, just let it go. This wine is all about emotion and you must be leaden-hearted for it not to move you profoundly with its laser-sighted flavours and extraordinary tension. Flavour-wise it is incredible how so much direction and decisiveness can emerge from such a seemingly demure wine. Approaching its tenth birthday, and with eight of these years spent on its lees, it seems like this wine has been chiselled out of a gleamingly white chalk sarcophagus as it sits naked in the glass, and there is so much potential here it takes the breath away. My intrepid group could not summon the energy to scratch our collective heads. There was just a collegiate sense of disbelief and then, a couple of minutes later, an exhalation of exultation – a synchronous moan of pure joy that somehow kicked us all back into the moment, granting us permission to acknowledge what had just happened. Given the experience around the table, we were of one voice – this is a landmark vintage for Heidsieck’s incredible Chardonnay and while it is straight-jacketed, brutally honest, and epically long, there are just enough white florals, tender sablé tones and dramatic citrus zestiness, to signal that this wine will be nothing short of era-defining given time.

Matthew Jukes (19.5+)

2014 Blanc des Millénaires is only the 8th vintage of this wine released since the inaugural wine in 1983. Let’s not beat around the bush – is a spectacular Champagne. To put this wine to the test, I opened my sample bottle and tasted it with four wine trade Titans. A buyer, a retailer, a journalist and an importer were all struck dumb by this wine. I told them they were not allowed to spread the word until today – which as I understand it is the release date. I set the scene for this tasting by opening a magnum of another famous Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru before pouring Blanc de Millénaires to ensure that everyone’s’ palates were in match fit condition to assess our hero wine. After the cooing and nodding abated regsarding the much-loved magnum, I popped the cork on BdM and poured one of the most colourless Champagnes I can remember. And then the magic started. After the sensual creaminess of our ‘apéritif Blanc de Blancs’ it was immediately apparent that ’14 Blanc de Millénaires was cut from very different cloth. This is a raspingly refreshing wine. It is so precision-cut you might want to wear gloves. There is no doubt this unnervingly keen creation is not one for beginners. And if you feel a tear fighting to set free from a loose duct, just let it go. This wine is all about emotion and you must be leaden-hearted for it not to move you profoundly with its laser-sighted flavours and extraordinary tension. Flavour-wise it is incredible how so much direction and decisiveness can emerge from such a seemingly demure wine. Approaching its tenth birthday, and with eight of these years spent on its lees, it seems like this wine has been chiselled out of a gleamingly white chalk sarcophagus as it sits naked in the glass, and there is so much potential here it takes the breath away. My intrepid group could not summon the energy to scratch our collective heads. There was just a collegiate sense of disbelief and then, a couple of minutes later, an exhalation of exultation – a synchronous moan of pure joy that somehow kicked us all back into the moment, granting us permission to acknowledge what had just happened. Given the experience around the table, we were of one voice – this is a landmark vintage for Heidsieck’s incredible Chardonnay and while it is straight-jacketed, brutally honest, and epically long, there are just enough white florals, tender sablé tones and dramatic citrus zestiness, to signal that this wine will be nothing short of era-defining given time.

Delve into the refined indulgence of Charles Heidsieck, La Collection Crayeres Blanc des Millenaires, Champagne 1983. This incredible champagne hails from the lauded region of Reims, France, marrying the meticulous methodology of Charles Heidsieck with 100% Chardonnay grapes meticulously selected from choice vineyards. The 1983 vintage embodies a complex array of flavours, displaying elements of citrus, brioche, honeyed almonds, and a refreshing mineral undertone.

Charles Heidsieck's notable reputation in the champagne world stems from their commitment to quality, as seen in the practice of long-term aging in their 11th-century chalk cellars known affectionately as 'crayères'. This particular blanc des blancs, encapsulating their mastery, offers a refined mousse, an exuberant bouquet and a delicate, lasting finish. Reflecting a year of exceptional weather, the Charles Heidsieck, La Collection Crayeres Blanc des Millenaires, Champagne 1983 presents the connoisseur with an exquisite opportunity to engage with this pinnacle of French viticulture.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

Aged for 10 years on its lees before disgorgement, this impressive vintage Champagne is perfectly mature. The touches of maturity have moved the wine into richness, the fruit and acidity filling out and deepening. This is a great Champagne from a great vintage, ready to drink.

Andreas Larsson (96)

Bright light golden colour with fine and lively bubbles. Nice purity on the nose, chalky and flinty with ripe but fresh yellow fruit like peach, passion fruit, lemongrass, fresh butter, brioche and floral notes. The palate shows a nice bite and precision, lovely freshness, fine extract, rounded creaminess with layers of succulent stone fruit, crushed nuts and pastry notes. Very long and lingering finish, still in a youthful stage but great potential here.

Essi Avallen MW (94-97)

Charles Heidsieck’s racy 2013 vintage is a blend of ten Grands and Premiers Crus: Oger, Vertus, Chouilly, Cuis, Verzy, Aÿ, Ludes, Ambonnay, Tauxières and Avenay-Val d’Or. Usually appreciated for the richness and toast-enriched complexity of its Vintage cuvées, Charles Heidsieck 2013 plays on totally different assets, cool refinement and silky linearity. Despite excellent ripeness of the grapes, the October harvest brought about a tight acid line and fine aromatic restraint to it. Toastiness is subtle for the time being, but remarkably elegant, perfectly lining the sweet orchard fruit profile. Its best quality is the prism like radiance and purity of fruit. Showing highly youthful, this wine promises to be slowly but gracefully ageing. Suitably dosed at 9g/l.