The Crayères, Charles Heidsieck’s 2000-year-old gallo-roman cellars photographed by Ljubodrag Andric. [read the full champagne story]
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
What better way to capture the profound and intense character of Charles Heidsieck’s champagnes than within its subterranean chalk cellars, descending thirty meters underground? The interconnection between the two is inseparable. Within the forty-seven white chalk chambers of these cellars, the bottles undergo maturation, acquiring a unique depth and elegance that defines the signature style of the house’s champagnes.
To symbolize this profound connection, the house enlisted the talents of the internationally acclaimed Italian-Canadian-Serbian photographer, Ljubodrag Andric, to immortalize this symbiotic relationship.
Ljubodrag Andric, much like Charles-Camille Heidsieck, the visionary founder of the house, boasts an international background and an adventurous spirit. Numerous parallels link this photographer to the essence of the House: a constant pursuit to highlight shapes, lines, and textures in his work, mirroring the dedication of Cellar Masters in crafting blends that achieve the utmost in elegance, texture, and enduring finish. Andric has crafted five emotionally evocative photographs that, through abstraction, unveil the subtleties inherent in Charles Heidsieck wines. Playing with luminosity and focusing on the coloring and texture of the chalk walls, Andric masterfully illustrates the distinctiveness of each of the five emblematic cuvées.
Against the millennia-old chalk wall, Andric overlays the bronze tones of the Brut Réserve, creating a complex texture that mirrors the multiplicity of the cuvées. The powdery pink hues of the Rosé Réserve resonate against the textured brilliance of the chalk. Similarly, the Blanc de Blancs, with its freshness and opulent minerality, is highlighted against the blazingly white chalk walls. Positioned in front of vein-ridden chalk, the imagery for the Brut Millésimé evokes the blend of crus that compose its intricate composition. Upon closer examination, Andric’s work reveals an attempt to convey the passage of time.
The Blanc des Millénaires, the flagship cuvée of the house, is regally framed by the millennia-old chalk walls where it undergoes its transformation over a decade.
‘Texture is the entry door to understanding this champagne . It is an inward voyage, a true multi-sensory experience.’
LJUBODRAG ANDRIC
