Heidsieck Monopole Gold Top 2005 Vintage Champagne

We'll get onto the stuff inside the bottle in a minute but, first, how cool is the bottle? If you are having a dinner party with some fancy pants people or, alternatively, someone whom you fancy the pants off, you can't deny the ridiculous glamour of having a Champagne on the table in shiny gold packaging.

Anyway, once you've opened it, you can expect a rollicking good ride of toasted hazelnuts, brioche and Braeburn apples. Yum.

Heidsieck & Co Monopole was founded in Reims in 1785 by Florens-Louis Heidsieck and is one of the original Champagne Houses. From the outset the House shipped internationally, particularly to Germany and Russia where The Tsar, a connoisseur of Champagne wines, sent for two entire train loads of Heidsieck & Co Monopole every year. It was a Royal supplier to the King of Prussia and the Emperor of Germany (1818), the English Court (1911), the Swedish Court and King Gustav (1933) and Tsar Nicholas II and many other European emperors.

Today Heidsieck & Co is a multi and regular award winning Champagne House that has a wonderful historical heritage and produces modern Pinot Noir-driven wines of exceptional oenological quality.

The Gold Top is made from a blend of 35% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Meunier. The grapes are sourced from circa 70 different Cru across the Champagne region and the Champagne is aged for around three years before disgorgement, release and shipment.

With warming, rich, vanilla and toasted nut flavours that are balanced out by invigorating pear and apple notes, this is a well-integrated Champagne with a soft fizz.