1982 Piper-Heidsieck 'Hors-Serie' Millesime

The second rendition of this late-disgorged cuvée has a lively first nose of candied lemon, hints of lime and smoke, alongside quince, apple and spring flowers; with aeration, notes of almonds and almond flowers come to the fore. On the palate, there is a nervy tension that energises its fine, crystalline texture. This is an upright and elegant Champagne with a mouthwatering, long and airy finish. After some time in the glass, it evolves towards notes of smoke, flint, chalk and vanilla. A sumptuous Champagne, now at its peak, but which could be kept for another five years. Disgorged: January 2002. Dosage: g/L.

The 1982 Champagne Hors-Serie Brut, which is 60% Pinot Noir rounded out with Chardonnay, is the second bottling in the Hors-Serie releases for Piper-Hiedsieck, having released the 1971 edition in 2021. Although it is certainly opulent, it is fresh and open with ripe apricot, honeysuckle, toasted brioche, and lemon curd. This continues to the palate, with ripe tangerine, marzipan, and spice. Though it is certainly fresh, this is a wine to drink over the relative near-term to see it at its peak. 2500 bottles were produced, and 500 gift packs are being released with the addition of the 1982 Sauvage. Drink 2022-2030. Emilien Boutillat took over as Chef de Cave for Regis Camus in 2018. A native to Champagne, Mr. Boutillat has a versatile background in winemaking, having worked for several wineries across the globe, including at such prestigious estates as Chateau Margaux in Bordeaux and Peter Michael in Sonoma, California. He also spent time in Chile, Châteauneuf du Pape, and Franschhoek, South Africa, where he made Cap Classique (sparkling wines). There are several exciting new releases from the house, including the most recent, the second release of Hors-Serie from 1982. This is a reinterpretation of the previously released cuvée Sauvage, except disgorged 30 years later in 2022. Mr. Boutillat also selected to use wine from magnums of Piper-Heidsieck 1982 to top up the bottles of Hors-Serie after disgorgement, as the liqueur d’expedition. There were 2500 bottles produced, and the house is putting together 500 gift packs that will offer a side by side of the 1982 Brut Sauvage and the 1982 Hors-Serie. These two unique expressions are a treat to taste simultaneously, though they offer very different applications at the table.

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.