Charles Heidsieck : Blanc des Millénaires Collection Crayères 1990

Understated excellence. Very refined in texture. Complex, revealing honey, coffee, citrus confit and ginger notes enmeshed in the supple, fine-grained texture. Firm yet perfectly integrated. A beautiful, stately expression of Chardonnay from Champagne. Drink now through 2012. 2,000 cases made.

The 1990 bouquet is quite mature, with a touch of mushroom and mirabelle plum in eau-de-vie. The palate opens with a fairly broad attack; the wine is generous, quite evolved, rich, with real vinosity and notes of honey. It brings Pinot Noir to mind even though it’s Chardonnay. It feels a little old-fashioned. Another bottle is also quite evolved, less mushroomy, more like dried leaves, more elegant and subtle, and younger.