Heidsieck & Co `Monopole` Champagne NV (6 x 750mL) France.

Winery Tasting Notes

This important label became part of the Canadian Seagram Group in 1972. But later, in October 1996, the house was taken over by the Vranken Group. The former Reims house owns 112 first-class hectares in Verzenay, Bouzy, Verzy, and Ambonnay, to name a few. They even owned the mill in Verzenay and the vineyards that belonged to it. In the beginning the company—founded in 1834—was called Hiedsieck & Co. It took its present name in 1923, when it was situated in Reims.

In recent years the firm has been recognized for its 1907s, which have been lying at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland since 1916. This good but hardly exceptional Champagne has quickly achieved cult status. The bottles sell for astronomical sums, despite the fact that this is the world's commonest old Champagne. The house has been in a deep rut since the fantastic 1960s, when both the vintage wine and the Diamant Bleu belonged to the extreme elite. Under Vranken's protection, large amounts of money are now invested to restore its reputation. With Hervé Ladouche as chef de cave, things actually look very promising. The wines are often bready and filled with gun powder aroma.