Even the nonvintage cuvée from this top producer has bottle age, so the yeasty edge and touches of almonds balance with the Champagne's acidity and fruitiness of white fruits and citrus flavors. This fine poised wine is ready to drink. ROGER VOSS

An enticing version, with richly toasted brioche and roasted hazelnut on the nose transitioning to underscore flavors of ripe black cherry, crème de cassis, gingerbread, lime blossoms and crystallized honey. This is long, creamy and harmonious, integrating the expressive profile with vibrant acidity and a fine, satin-like texture. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged 2022. Drink now through 2029. - AN

Even in the tricky 2017 vintage, Charles Heidsieck turns out an impeccable NV. The reserves form a serious, appetising core of dried apricot and sourdough around which zesty citrus, raspberry and bitter almond offer brightness and energy. Impressive detail and length. 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, 20% Meunier, based on the 2017 vintage with 50% reserve wines up to 20 years of age, with 9% barrel-fermented wines.

The NV Champagne Reserve Brut, a blend of 40% each Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and 20% Meunier, pours a yellow/golden color and is generous and inviting, with loads of classic charm in its notes of brioche, ripe peaches, honied citrus, and fresh flowers. The palate is medium framed but fleshed out by a rounded mousse and has a suggestion of decadence as well as a clean finish. This highly appealing multi-vintage cuvée sees a high percentage of reserve wine going into the final blend, which adds a very well-integrated and layered feel. Drink now or over the coming 5-7 years. Disgorged 2022. - Audrey Frick

This example of Charles Heidsieck non-vintage Brut is from the base year and was disgorged in 2020, so it did not spend quite as long sur latte as the special two hundredth anniversary bottling. Like the above, forty percent of the cuvée is composed of reserve wines, up to ten years in age. The wine offers up an excellent bouquet of white peach, warm bread, a complex foundation of chalky soil elements, citrus peel, dried flowers and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, complex and very nicely balanced, with good depth at the core, refined mousse, bouncy acids and lovely length and grip on the focused finish. This is not quite as complex as the two hundred anniversary edition, from the base year of 2017, but it is very close in quality and is certainly a very high class bottle of non-vintage Brut.

Based on the 2019 vintage and enriched by 50% reserve wines—stored in steel tanks and incorporating some 100 individual wines, averaging a decade in age—Charles Heidsieck’s NV Brut Réserve opens with aromas of candied lemon peel, ripe pear and pineapple mingling with buttered toast and a hint of burnt sugar. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, charming and textural, with a sweet and fleshy fruit core, succulent yet vibrant acidity and a persistent, toasty finish. Disgorged in 2024 with a dosage of nine grams per liter, after nearly four years aging sur lattes, it represents another strong rendition of this reliable cuvée. - Kristaps Karklins

Charles Heidsieck’s signature cuvée, the Brut Réserve NV, is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay largely Grand and Premier Cru fruit, with 20% of Pinot Meunier. The “signature” element is the high percentage of reserve wines in this non-vintage cuvée; 52% is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reserve wines that range from 12 to 23 years old, and the 48% balance is from the 2018 base vintage fermented in stainless steel, with 8-9% fermented in barrel. It is aged for 4 years and has a nine gram per liter dosage. A lovely, light golden color, it opens with notes of crème brulé and light toast that accent underlying lemon cream and white peach aromas. The light to medium-bodied palate is textured and supple with a fresh, lemony acid line spun around a rich core of honeyed stone fruit. The reserve wines lend complexity and discrete power to the long, refreshing finish. A sophisticated NV cuvée throughout. Disgorged in 2023. - Sarah Mayo