Average rating 4.9/5 stars across all Google and external reviews
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Bought directly from Liberty Wines, UK agent for Piper-Heidsieck, the bottles are stored in bond at London City Bond Eton Park, in ideal conditions at a constant 13°C. For same-day deliveries, small quantities are kept in our office cellar, where the temperature is maintained between 11–13°C. We source all our bottles directly from the Maison or their official UK office, eliminating the risk of poor storage. This is crucial, as champagne quality is highly sensitive to heat: temperatures above 18°C accelerate maturity significantly, which compromises quality.
Bottles Available:
2 × 75cl - 6 from 10th Sep We keep some stock in our London Warehouse. Large volumes take 24 hours from our out of London warehouse.
Piper-Heidsieck's roots trace back to Florens-Louis Heidsieck, who created the original company of Heidsieck & Co. Christian Heidsieck joined the venture alongside Guillaume Piper and once Florens-Louis died in 1828, the duo decided to continue the adventure side by side, founding Champagne Piper-Heidsieck.
In 2011 both Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck were bought by EPI Group headed by Christopher Descours, he has pumped significant finance into the companies allowing them to grow their vineyard holdings, grape purchasing and production. The brands are now growing their sales fast after many decades of decline. Today, production occurs alongside sister company Charles Heidsieck in an ultra-modern functional wine-making facility on the southern outskirts of Reims. Their characteristics differ quite considerably, with Piper opting for a fruitier and lighter style of base wines.
In autumn 2021, Piper-Heidsieck launched their new series of Champagne "Hors-Série" and the first release was Vintage 1971. November 2022 sees the release of the next Hors-Série, which is Vintage 1982. Hors-Série 1982 has been disgorged in the spring of 2022 after 39 years of storage on lees by current cellar master Emilien Boutillat.
Émilien Boutillat offers a reflection on time with Brut Sauvage 1982 and Hors-Série 1982, presented in the Diptyque 1982 gift box, numbered, and released in a limited edition of 500 boxes.
The fruit of the same vintage, the same blend and dosage, Brut Sauvage 1982 and Hors-Série 1982 each boast a distinctive character, a result of their different ageing processes.
Tasting the two together offers a truly unique experience as these two cuvées showcase a new perspective on time, revealing different phenomenal sensations and precise generous aromas on the nose and the palate.
Weather in 1982: The results of the 1982 harvest are considered amongst the most exceptional ever witnessed in the history of Champagne. The grapes grew under steady weather conditions. The results were irreproachable and the harvest abundant! The grapes, all varieties included, were in excellent condition and stood out for their nesse, equilibrium and grandeur, hallmarks of a great year in Champagne.
Technical Information Hors-Serie 1982:
Vineyards: 12 crus | Chardonnay - Côte des Blancs | Pinot-Noir - Mostly Verzy in the Montagne de Reims
Grape Varieties: 60% Pinot Noir & 40% Chardonnay
Lees ageing: 39 years
Disgorged: January 2022
Bottling: 26 through 30 July 1983
Dosage: 4 g/l
Production: 2,500 bottles
Technical Information Brut Sauvage 1982:
Vineyards: 12 crus | Chardonnay - Côte des Blancs | Pinot-Noir - Verzy, Verzenay, Tauxières and Ambonnay in the Montagne de Reims
Grape Varieties: 60% Pinot Noir & 40% Chardonnay
Lees ageing: 9 years
Disgorged: January 1992
Dosage: 4 g/l
Hors-Serie 1982 Tasting Note:Hors-Série 1982 being recently disgorged present quite young, luscious notes of mirabelle plums, kumquats, dried pineapple, and fresh quince, with a touch of ginger and earl grey tea. Smoky accents of coffee beans and toast balance out the wine’s minerality.
Brut Sauvage 1982 Tasting Note:Brut Sauvage 1982 presents quite differently since this is original disgorgement. There is bundles of dried & candied fruits, buttery pastry notes of brioche and frangipane accompanied by a spiced touch of vanilla and nutmeg pave the way to warm harmonies of honey, slightly pepper to finish. Amazing for a forty year champagne!
The Piper-Heidsieck Hors Serie 1982 is also available as a singular bottle here
Watch Nick's video tasting review of these champagnes here.
Champagne Piper-Heidsieck began with Florens-Louis Heidsieck, who created the original company of Heidsieck & Co in 1785. Originally his idea was to “create a cuvée worthy of a queen” and once Marie Antoinette had tasted his creation his dream was realised, as she became the first Heidsieck & Co ambassador. In 1815, Florens-Louis’ nephew, Christian Heidsieck joined the company alongside Henri-Guillaume Piper and upon Florens-Louis’ death in 1828, the duo decided to continue the adventure side by side, forming Champagne Piper-Heidsieck.
The House went from strength to strength during the 1800s, according the privilege of royal warrant holder from no less than fourteen royal and imperial courts, some as far afield as China. A milestone was reached in 1885 and to celebrate Piper-Heidsieck’s centennial, Pierre Karl Fabergé - star jeweller of Russian Tsar Alexander III - designed a bottle adorned with gold, diamonds and lapis lazuli. This marked the beginning of a partnership between the House and the world’s greatest jewellers and the ornate design is still seen on bottles of Piper-Heidsieck’s prestige cuvée Rare today.
This success continued throughout the 20th Century, which saw Piper-Heidsieck become Hollywood’s champagne of choice. Indeed, the legendary Marilyn Monroe famously declared in 1953: “I go to bed with a few drops of Chanel No. 5 and I wake up each morning to a glass of Piper-Heidsieck; it warms me up.”
Today, the winemaking team is led by Cellar Master Régis Camus, who has been with the House since 1994. The signature of Piper-Heidsieck champagne has always been their preference for Pinot Noir, accounting for the balanced, structured and powerful style for which their blends are famed. Their prestige cuvée, Rare, was first produced in 1976 when an unprecedented heat wave struck the region. Following the philosophy that an extraordinary event should produce an extraordinary cuvée, Rare vintages are only declared in years “where Nature unleashes its forces”.
Always striving for innovation and progression, Piper-Heidsieck opened their impressive modern winery with over 200 stainless steel wine vats in 1995 and their newly designed contemporary headquarters were revealed in 2008.
Chef de Cave History at Champagne Piper-Heidsieck:
Cellar Master: Émilien Boutillat
Winery Location: Reims | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Montagne de Reims
Annual Production (bottles): 8,000,000
Chef de Cave History at Champagne Piper-Heidsieck:
Émilien Boutillat - October 2018 - Current
Emilien studied at the School of Agronomy in Montpellier, focusing on both viticulture and enology. Early in his career he worked in quite a variety of winegrowing regions beyond Champagne: for example in the Rhône, Bordeaux and abroad in New Zealand, California, Chile, South Africa. He first worked for several harvests at houses like Cattier and Armand de Brignac before joining Piper‑Heidsieck in October 2018 as the chef de cave for the House. At the time of his appointment with Piper-Heidsieck in 2018 he was “the youngest chef de caves” at a large Maison in Champagne.
Regis Camus - 2002 to 2022
Regis studied in 1974 and 1975 at the Faculté d’Oenologie in Reims. After obtaining his Oenological Diploma - his first winemaking experience was in 1976 as an intern under Tutor Jacques Peters, who also helped Regis find his first job in champagne. Camus joined Piper-Heidsieck in the 1990s as assistant to Daniel Thibault, after Daniel died in 2002 Regis was promoted to manage all the winemaking team for all three brands; Piper, Rare and Charles. From 2013 Regis focussed his time on Champagne Piper-Heidsieck and Rare and since 2018 has been solely responsible for the prestige cuvée Rare and handing over to his sucessor Emilien. His meticulous winemaking has made him Sparkling Winemaker of the Year at the IWC eight times and in 2019 the CSWWC rewarded him of a Life Achievement award. Regis retired in March 2022.
Daniel Thibault - 1990-2002
Daniel came to Charles Heidseick when Joseph Henriot of Champagne Henriot purchased it in 1976. He was chef de cave at Henriot until Joseph brought him across to Charles Heidsieck shortly after buying the Maison. In 1985 Charles-Heidsieck was acquired by Rémy Cointreau from Joseph Henriot and in 1988 Rémy Cointreau also acquired Piper-Heidsieck. When Claude Demiere retired as cellar master of Piper-Heidsieck in 1990 Daniel Thibault took over managing winemaking at both Charles & Piper and at this time he hired Regis Camus as his assistant. Daniel passed away from cancer in 2002.
Claude Demiere - 1970-1990
He spent most of his career in the Piper-Heidsieck cellars, first as a worker in the 1960’s progressing through foreman and appointed chef de cave in 1970 continuing until his retirement in 1990. During his time Claude saw ownership change to Rémy Cointreau in 1985 and during the last five years of his time as cellar master he was required not to make many vintages of Champagne Rare as during this time the parent company also owned Champagne Krug. In 1990 Claude made this year and then no Rare was made until a small amount of 1997 was made, but not declared and it wasn't until 1998 that a full vintage was again made.
Expert Reviews
97/100
Peter Moser
“Hors Serie | Strong golden yellow, silver reflections, very fine, persistent mousseux. Ripe bouquet, delicate blossom honey, ripe ringlet fruit, delicately nutty, fine minerality, ripe stone fruit, delicate nuances of oxidation that dissolve with air, nuances of brioche and almonds, candied orange zest. The bouquet opens with a little time, delicate white peaches, pineapple, orange marmalade, fine touch of nougat. Firm on the palate, white apple, very racy structure, salty, delicate Rancio nuances, tight-knit, very youthful, some almond biscuits on the finish, some Noutella, fine, good tropical fruit on the finish, hazelnut flour in the aftertaste, lingers for minutes.”
94 → 94/100
Essi Avellan MW
“Hors Serie | For this second edition of Hors-Series special cuvées, chef de cave Emilien Boutillat went through his cellars and found us a gem to drink history by. Hors-Serie 1982 is a long lees-aged, January 2022 disgorged version of the original Piper Vintage. Thus, a blend lead by Pinot Noir from villages like Verzy, Verzenay, Tauxières and Ambonnay complemented by Côte des Blancs Chardonnay. Dosed at 4g/l with magnums of the same wine, the colour is golden but perfectly bright. Fruit shines also on the opulently toasty, deep and elegant nose. Coffee, dried apricots, yellow plums baked peach, cacao, dark spiciness, dried herbs and smoke. The age can be felt more on the palate which nevertheless comes with beautiful acid line and a sappy, juicy quality. A silky wine of mature elegance. Perfect to drink now.”
17.5+/20
Matthew Hayes
“Brut Sauvage | Deep gold; no bubbles again, but the same fine mousse in the mouth. Coffee, apricot and burnt honey on the nose; very torrified, but lovely depth and spice. Mushrooms and truffle, really quite spectacular for lovers of oxidative notes.”
93/100
Tom Hewson
“Brut Sauvage | 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, mainly from the Montagne de Reims but with a little Côte des Blancs Chardonnay. Disgorged in 1991 and re-released with the Hors-Série 1982 (a late disgorged version of the same wine). Versus the Hors-Série, Sauvage 1982 shows an involved, developed profile with piles of lime marmalade, mango and eucalyptus flavours, wrapped in warming malt and honey richness. Firm still, the freshness of the vintage still in evidence, this is a fine mature Champagne worth savouring.”
This week on The Friday Bubble we had a truly unique experience reviewing Piper-Heidsieck Duo: Sauvage & Hors Serie 1982 side by side with Chief Winemaker Emilien Boutillat.
Last year, Rare Champagne separated from parent brand Piper-Heidsieck, becoming the third champagne house of the burgeoning EPI group. We met veteran chef de cave Régis Camus at the vast premises in Reims earlier this summer to taste some treasures, both old and new.
Émilien Boutillat chose a good vintage to start his new role as Piper-Heidsieck cellar master. "The quality of the grapes was perfect all over the region," he told us. We tasted the base wines and shared a magnificent lunch paired with Rare Champagne.
Following the recent release of Rare Le Secret, the 20-year clandestine project of Rare Champagne Chef de Cave Régis Camus, we were invited to a vertical tasting of past Rare Champagne vintages - dating all the way back to 1979 - with the secretive cellar master himself.
Yesterday, Piper-Heidsieck announced the appointment of Émilien Boutillat as their new Cellar Master. Previous incumbent Séverine Frerson has joined Perrier-Jouët, where she will succeed current Cellar Master Hervé Deschamps in a few years.
Of nearly 200 champagnes tasted at The Drinks Business 2018 Champagne Masters competition, one stood out as the absolute best: Piper-Heidsieck Rare 1998. Available today in magnums only, this exceptional cuvée was awarded an average 98-points.
Earlier this year, Séverine Frerson became Cellar Master of Piper-Heidsieck, while previous incumbent Régis Camus took on a new role as Cellar Master of Rare Champagne, which is to become its own brand. Check out the first pictures of new Rare Champagne bottles here.
As with other houses, the 2017 season was a complicated one for Piper-Heidsieck. We met with current Chef de Cave Régis Camus and his deputy Séverine Frerson to taste a selection of vins clairs and hear their take on the vintage.
