Charles Heidsieck appoints new winemaker

Charles Heidsieck has announced the appointment of Emilien Erard as its new chef de cave, reports Giles Fallowfield. Erard officially takes up the chef de cave position at Charles Heidsieck from 1 July 2025, replacing Elise Losfelt, who only took on the role herself in March 2023, after Cyril Brun left the house to go and work at Ferrari in Trente d’Oc. Losfelt lost her husband under tragic circumstances last year, but returned to her winemaking role at the house in early 2025. However, she has now decided to join her family’s estate Château de l’Engarran in the Languedoc as of this summer. Confirming the change exclusively to the drinks business, Charles Heidsieck CEO Stephen Leroux said that they were "very sad" to lose Losfelt, who crafted the wines from the 2024 and 2023 harvests, and also created the final blends from 2022, working alongside Brun. She also made the very specific, Liqueur d'Expedition for the recently released eighth blend of Blanc de Millénaires 2014, he notes.

Smooth transition

However, Leroux says, with the appointment of Erard, the house is assured of a smooth transition as he has been working at Charles Heidsieck for eight years already, originally in 2018 as head of the vat room, but more recently working as part of the winemaking team. And since October 2022 his responsibilities have included acting as the House’s representative in relationships with the cooperatives and winegrowers they work with. A holder of the “DNO” (National Diploma in Oenology), Erard has held a number of positions at different companies in Champagne over the past 15 years, including roles at various co-operatives and two well-known houses in the shape of Ayala and Billecart Salmon. He also has a good working relationship with the other Emilien in the group, Emilien Boutillat the chef de cave at sister house Piper Heidsieck.