($96, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  Charles Heidsieck is really on their game with their current releases.  The back label informs that the grapes came mainly from the Grand and Premier Cru villages, respectively, of Oger and Vertus in the Côte des Blancs, the region’s premier locale for Chardonnay.  This bottling contains 25 percent reserve wines, that is, wines from previous vintages that allow the winemaker to maintain quality and consistency of the blend.  The remainder of the blend came from the 2012 vintage.  It spent four years aging on the lees, which increases its complexity.  All of that explains why this non-vintage Blanc de Blancs is so riveting.  Steely, yet expansive, it blossoms on the palate and in the finish.  It demonstrates the elegance of Chardonnay.
94 Michael Apstein Dec 1, 2020