Sparkling Wine: 1988 | Piper-Heidsieck | Rare Champagne

The nose offers a myriad of exotic aromas, such as dried fern, truffles, figs and dates. The palate is bold, with hints of cinnamon, brioche, hazelnuts and dried red berries. The finish is long with apples and honey right through to the end.

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Producer: Piper-Heidsieck

Ratings: EA | 96 WS | 95

Vintage: 1988

Size: 750ml

ABV: 12%

Varietal: Champagne Blend

Country/Region: France, Champagne

The nose offers a myriad of exotic aromas, such as dried fern, truffles, figs and dates. The palate is bold, with hints of cinnamon, brioche, hazelnuts and dried red berries. The finish is long with apples and honey right through to the end.

Reviews:

• Essi Avellan: Beautifully complex mocha, truffle, honey and cinnamon nose with a touch of mushroom. There is also a curious herbacious edge to it. Maturing palate with figs and cigar notes pushing through. Wide and energetic with a fine, succulent, long length.

• Wine Spectator: A rich and delicious Champagne, with beautiful balance and a fine-grained texture on the palate supporting grilled almond and iodine overtones. Latent layers of mushroom, smoke, candied citrus peel and brioche flavors add complexity, while fresh, salty acidity enlivens the wine, leading to a mouthwatering finish.

Producer Information

Piper-Heidsieck is one of the most famous houses in Champagne. It is known for its structured, fruit-driven house style made predominantly from Pinot Noir, with smaller portions of Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Piper-Heidsieck’s top wine is the Rare Millsime, made from a Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend with the former dominating. The wine is full-bodied and well-structured, and is aged for seven years in the cellars before release. Rare is only made in the very best years fewer than 10 vintages have been released in the past 30 years. The winery is home to temperature-controlled cellars and a host of reserve wines which are used to keep the house style consistent from year to year. Grapes are vinified by grape variety and by individual plot to allow for more control in the blending process. Grapes for the Piper-Heidsieck Brut, Demi Sec Sublime and Ros Sauvage come from around a hundred cru vineyards in Champagne. The Piper-Heidsieck Vintage Brut is produced from between 15-20 grand and premier cru plots, and is usually a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, without any Pinot Meunier. The company has its origins in the cloth- and wine-trading company Heidsieck and Co. which was founded in 1785 by Florens-Louis Heidsieck. The brand itself came about in 1838 after the marriage of Madame Heidsieck and Henri-Guillaume Piper, but went into a period of decline for the next hundred years. It was resurrected in the mid-20th Century, and has gone on to become one of the world’s most recognizable Champagnes.