Heidsieck & Co. Monopole

- Do you know Charles Heidsieck?
- The man or the Champagne?
- No matter, they are inseparable!
Charismatic, dandy, globetrotter, popular. An ambassador of France and Champagne who earned the nickname Champagne Charlie in the United States. In 1989 they even made a film about him, starring Hugh Grant. But in 1862, the same country that had consecrated him to immortality as an icon of French bubbly brought him close to bankruptcy. Accused of espionage, he was arrested and imprisoned for seven months. Found innocent, he returned to France in November of that year, in poor health and on the verge of bankruptcy. The episode is still remembered today as the Heidsieck Incident. Champagne Charlie was not, however, an easy guy to break. In fact, he managed to make a full recovery, conquering, after America, courts all over Europe. Today, the Maison founded by Charles in 1851 continues to thrive (it boasts the world's most important wine shop in terms of size and value), and its style, which fully reflects Charles' unmistakable style, is characterised by a high proportion of Reserve wines that enrich the Maison's cuvées sans année. The selected grapes constitute, together with the original crus, the complexity of the final product.