Heidsieck & Co Monopole
Encyclopedia
Heidsieck & Co "Monopole" is a champagne house located in the Champagne region of France. It was founded in 1785 by Florens-Louis Heidsieck
. Today, Heidsieck is owned by the Vranken company (located in Épernay
), who also have Pommery
and Demoiselle in their portfolio. The champagne has a lot of pinot noir
in the standard cuvée
which makes it a little bit heavier in its style.
bleu vintage 1907 was found in the shipwreck of the Swedish freighter Jönköping in the Gulf of Finland
, the ship was charted to deliver spirits, via neutral Sweden, to the Imperial Court of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
. The ship was torpedoed in 1916 by a German sub during World War I and a majority of the bottles survived in the frigid waters. About 2000 bottles were salvaged from the ship and have been sold at auctions all over the world as a historic novelty.
off the coast of the Åland Islands
. The bottles were initially claimed to have been produced between 1782 and 1788. They were sent back to France for analysis. Shortly after this the bottles were traced to a now-defunct champagne house Juglar. In November 2010 it was reported that the wreck included Veuve Clicquot
bottles as well. Veuve Clicquot stated that experts checking branding of the corks "were able to identify with absolute certainty" that three of the bottles were theirs. The other bottles examined were attributed to Juglar.
On November 17 the local government of the Åland Islands announced that most of the bottles are to be auctioned off.
In January 2011 further info about the Åland bottles was released. 95 of them were identified as Juglar, 46 as Veuve Clicquot and at least four as Heidsieck.
Florens-Louis Heidsieck
Florens-Louis Heidsieck was the founder of the Champagne house Heidsieck & Co from which later Piper-Heidsieck was spun off, and which was the start of the Heidsieck Champagne clan. Heidsieck was the son of a Lutheran minister from Westphalia, and had moved to Reims to work as a cloth merchant...
. Today, Heidsieck is owned by the Vranken company (located in Épernay
Épernay
Épernay is a commune in the Marne department in northern France. Épernay is located some 130 km north-east of Paris on the main line of the Eastern railway to Strasbourg...
), who also have Pommery
Pommery
Champagne Pommery is a French Champagne house located in Reims. The house was founded as Pommery & Greno in 1858 by Alexandre Louis Pommery and Narcisse Greno with the primary business being wool trading. Under the guidance of Alexandre's widow, Louise Pommery, the firm was dedicated to Champagne...
and Demoiselle in their portfolio. The champagne has a lot of pinot noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
in the standard cuvée
Cuvee
Cuvée is a French wine term derived from cuve, meaning vat or tank. The term cuvée is used with several different meanings, more or less based on the concept of a tank of wine put to some purpose:...
which makes it a little bit heavier in its style.
Champagnes
- Blue Top (non-vintage) – The primary House champagne. (Composition: 70% Pinot Noir, 20% ChardonnayChardonnayChardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
, 10% Pinot MeunierPinot meunierPinot Meunier, , also known as Meunier or Black Riesling, is a variety of black wine grape most noted for being one of the three main grapes used in the production of champagne...
.) - Blue Top Premiers Crus (non-vintage). (Composition: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay.)
- Extra Dry (non-vintage) (Composition: 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier.)
- Gold Top Millesime 2000. (Composition: 35% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Meunier.)
1907 vintage
In 1998, the Hiedsieck cuvée called DiamantDiamant
The Diamant rocket was the first exclusively French expendable launch system and at the same time the first satellite launcher not built by either the USA or USSR. As such it is the main predecessor of all subsequent European launcher projects...
bleu vintage 1907 was found in the shipwreck of the Swedish freighter Jönköping in the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
, the ship was charted to deliver spirits, via neutral Sweden, to the Imperial Court of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
. The ship was torpedoed in 1916 by a German sub during World War I and a majority of the bottles survived in the frigid waters. About 2000 bottles were salvaged from the ship and have been sold at auctions all over the world as a historic novelty.
Another Baltic sea finding
In July 2010, a group of Swedish divers found 168 bottles from the 1830s aboard a shipwreck in the Baltic SeaBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
off the coast of the Åland Islands
Åland Islands
The Åland Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and form an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking region of Finland...
. The bottles were initially claimed to have been produced between 1782 and 1788. They were sent back to France for analysis. Shortly after this the bottles were traced to a now-defunct champagne house Juglar. In November 2010 it was reported that the wreck included Veuve Clicquot
Veuve Clicquot
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin is both a champagne house in Reims, France, and a brand of premium champagne. Founded in 1772 by Philippe Clicquot-Muiron, Veuve Clicquot played an important role in establishing champagne as a favored drink of haute bourgeoisie and nobility throughout Europe...
bottles as well. Veuve Clicquot stated that experts checking branding of the corks "were able to identify with absolute certainty" that three of the bottles were theirs. The other bottles examined were attributed to Juglar.
On November 17 the local government of the Åland Islands announced that most of the bottles are to be auctioned off.
In January 2011 further info about the Åland bottles was released. 95 of them were identified as Juglar, 46 as Veuve Clicquot and at least four as Heidsieck.