I am an old bubbly enthusiast and have had quite a few bottles of '90 Charles Heidsieck Millesime (WS98 pts.), which I think is a fantastic bubbly (although it still tastes young from magnum). The labels on all of the bottles that I have had have been off-white with gold edge and specifies "Millesime 1990 Vintage" with "Brut" directly underneath.

Recently, I bought a case bubbly advertised as '90 Heidsieck Millesime. The wine that I received had an all-gold label that specifies "Millesime 1990 Vintage" with "Brut" directly underneath.

So, with both labels specifying "Millesime 1990 Vintage" and "Brut", which one is the Millesime?

I'm pretty sure that Charles Heidsieck produced 3 vintage Champagnes in '90--the Millesime (WS98), the Blanc de Millenaires (sp?)(WS97) and the Brut (WS97).

My feeling is that the bottle with the all-gold label is actually the Brut (significantly less expensive than the Millesime upon release), but I want to be sure and the few merchants with whom I have spoken do not seem to truly know. Furthermore, I have found photos on the internet of both labels professing to be the Millesime.

Are there any here who know the answer definitively? Thank you, in advance.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: W. Reiter,

Anyone know how to get this inquiry to Bruce Sanderson? He might know.

There're quite a few Champagne lovers on the boards. Hang tight, someone should have an answer for you. Plus, you might add the phrase Paging James Molesworth Bruce Sanderson to your subject line. He's on here fairly often.

Good luck,

This message has been edited. Last edited by: indybob,

Well, "Millesime" just means "year," which corresponds to "Vintage."

I'm not sure why there are ratings for both Millesime and Brut, I don't know, but based on their current website, they only made 5 wines:

NV Brut Reserve
Brut Vintage (which is the all-gold label you mentioned)
Vintage Rose
Blanc des Millenaires Vintage (white label with the gold border on the label)
Champagne Charlie (all white label with gold text and a tiny bit of gold on the rim).

Brut Vintage, Vintage Rose, and Blanc des Millenaires all display "Millesime 1990 Vintage" on the labels, whereas the Champagne Charlie just lists "Brut 1990."

WS (and Bruce Sanderson in particular) can probably verify this information, but that makes complete sense to me.

Also, as per indybob's post - a "Paging Bruce Sanderson" subject would probably work better than James Molesworth.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by futronic:

I'm not sure why there are ratings for both Millesime and Brut, I don't know, but based on their current website, they only made 5 wines:

NV Brut Reserve
Brut Vintage (which is the all-gold label you mentioned)
Vintage Rose
Blanc des Millenaires Vintage (white label with the gold border on the label)
Champagne Charlie (all white label with gold text and a tiny bit of gold on the rim).

Brut Vintage, Vintage Rose, and Blanc des Millenaires all display "Millesime 1990 Vintage" on the labels, whereas the Champagne Charlie just lists "Brut 1990."

Thanks! I'll add the header. I know that Millesime just indicates vintage, as many regular vintage champagnes include this notation, but in '90 Charles Heidsieck definitely bottled 3 different vintage bubblies (in addition to the Charlie), as I've had quite a few bottles of two of the three--the BdM and what I think is the 98pt. Millesime (off-white/gold label and dark foil) and now I have received the all-gold label regular Brut (perhaps). I have photos of both labels--but I don't know how to post them here. Just so strange that Heidy had two labels that are so similar in nomenclature.

You could always upload the photos to Flickr or something and link to them here.

Did you buy all the wines in the same market? I'm wondering if they may have differed a bit depending on their origin?

W.Reiter,

If you are thinking counterfeit, I would forward photo's and other details to the winery for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:
W.Reiter,

If you are thinking counterfeit, I would forward photo's and other details to the winery for sure.

I am not really worried that they are counterfeit, but contacting Heidsieck is a good idea. Thanks!