Tyson Stelzer hosts a comparative tasting of the
two 1982 - & recently arrived -
Piper Heidsieck Hors-Serie and Sauvage,
along with…
5 of Piper Heidsieck’s “Rare” Champagnes
- The world’s Most Awarded Champagne -
… in which the last of the
“Rare” 2008 750ml and Magnums
Dinner: 7.00pm, 12 Champagnes &
5 Courses Menu $595
Friday May 31st
To enquire about tickets to this event click here,
or purchase your ticket online here.
Tyson Stelzer Launches his
Champagne Guide, Edition VII
To celebrate the Global Launch of this and thus the
first public showing of this in Australia, while enjoying some of the
best champagnes in the world.
A Signed Copy of the
Tyson Stelzer
Champagne Guide Edition VII,
valued at $120,
is included with each two tickets.
(Single Ticket Surcharge - $50)
Piper Heidsieck
Piper-Heidsieck is a French champagne house that has been producing extraordinary champagnes since 1785. It is renowned for its unique blends, made from a combination of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. It has won numerous awards for its superior quality and is one of the most sought-after champagnes in the world.
The champagne house is owned by Vranken-Pommery Monopole, based in Reims, and run by the current head winemaker, Régis Camus. Régis Camus has been with the company since the late 1990s and has taken Piper-Heidsieck to new heights with his creative and innovative winemaking techniques.
Piper-Heidsieck has a long and illustrious history. The champagne house's founder, Florens-Louis Heidsieck, was a German businessman who settled in France in the late 1700s. He soon became a successful wine merchant and, in 1785, founded the wine company Heidsieck & Co.
Passionate about viticulture, Heidsieck created the Piper-Heidsieck brand in 1839. He believed in the importance of perfectly blended grapes, and the champagne house has followed this philosophy ever since.
Over the years, the champagne house from Reims has become famous for its distinctive light, fruity taste, making it one of the most popular and sought-after champagnes in the world. It has also been served on a variety of occasions, including the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower in 1889, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.
pepites-en-champagne.fr
The Wine List & Menu
On Arrival
Piper Heidsieck Essential NV, Our Price $118
The tension of 2013 and the coiled focus of Essentiel are more high-strung than ever en magnum, projecting the reductive air of Piper with grilled toast and struck flint notes. A core of beurre bosc pear and grapefruit carries impressive freshness at a full decade of age, structured with a firm undercurrent of chalk minerality and the lingering acid drive of 2013 vibrancy.
94 Points, Tyson Stelzer, champagne guide
This bone-dry Champagne has been released with some bottle aging. That has softened the wine's texture and created an attractive toasty edge to the ripe apple and pear flavours. The wine is ready to drink.
93 Points Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
Toasty on the nose, with hints of grilled nut, smoke and spices transitioning on the palate to accent flavours of baked nectarine, candied ginger and mandarin orange peel. Harmonious and expressive, with a fine, raw, silky mousse and pretty lime blossom and graphite accents on the finish. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Disgorged November 2021. Drink now.
93 Points, Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator
Tempura whiting, goats curd & beetroot tarts
1st Course
Piper Heidsieck Essential Blanc de Noir NV, Our Price $150
Emilien Boutillat’s first new creation at Piper aspires to capture the historical pinot noir and meunier focus of the house with the freshness of Essentiel. It meets its brief with exacting precision, capturing raspberry and blackberry fruit of lifted, pretty finesse, framed in vibrant acidity and underlined by pristine chalk minerality. It projects effortless and energetic line and length. And exciting cuvée to watch as future releases gain the depth and complexity of solera reserves.
93 Points, Tyson Stelzer, champagne.guide
This is a new cuvee from Piper-Heidsieck showing aromas of blackberries, black berries, rose hips and lavender, with citrus peel freshness. Deliciously fruity while remaining fresh and tight, with a medium body, bright acidity and fine bubbles. Dry. 80% pinot noir and 20% meunier. 5g/L dosage.
92 Points James Suckling, jamesuckling.com
Salmon tartare, green olive, pinenuts
2nd Course
Piper-Heidsieck Vintage 2014, Our Price $123
A perfectly mature Champagne, this is just ready to drink. Fresh fruits contrast with the mature toastiness. The blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay gives texture plus minerality in harmony. Drink this fine wine now.
94 Points Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
A crunchy and coiled Piper Vintage with a medium straw yellow hue. There’s a cool air to this vintage, led by the refreshing north-eastern slopes of Verzy pinot noir with crunch, tang and attack. A touch of enticing, toasty struck flint reduction is increasingly a marker of the modern era of Piper. The toasty/honeyed/spicy/roast almond mood of Piper is prominent here, most of all on the nose, less so on the palate, which flows into a conclusion of energy and drive. Bright acidity marries with impressive chalk mineral energy to mark out a future of great longevity. Wait at least another two years.
93 Points, Tyson Stelzer, Champagne Guide
A seamless Champagne, finely textured and showing a creamy viscosity on the palate. This vibrant version winds a subtle, toasty thread of brioche and roasted almond through flavours of black currant, dried apricot and candied lemon peel. Mouthwatering and lightly chalky on the finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
93 Points, Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator
A bright, silky and vinous Champagne with aromas of dried apricots, walnuts, seashells, preserved lemons, raspberry tart and frangipani. Very fine bubbles here, with succulent citrus and berry fruit. Why wait? Drink now.
93 Points James Suckling, jamesuckling.com
The Piper-Heidsieck 2014 shows an enticing nose, oscillating between pear and peach aromas, that becomes more floral in character with airing, refreshed by minty notes. Spices and flinty notes appear with time in the glass, intertwined by pastry and elegant oxidative notes. The mouthfeel has a juicy yet tense structure, with fresh notes of mint and citrussy acidity that deliver freshness and lift on the flinty texture. The ideal partner for fruits de mer. Keep it in the cellar for two to three years.
92 Points Yohan Castaing, Decanter
Piper-Heidsieck Vintage 2008, Our Price $241
Bright, medium yellow colour with a strongly toasty bouquet, even a trace of slightly burnt toast. The palate is full and rich and strong, with big, mouth filling flavour and real generosity. This is a superb full-bodied wine, and it finishes very dry and cleansing. Long and satisfying. A good food wine - it has real palate strength and backbone.
96 Points Huon Hooke, The Real Review
I loved Piper 2008 on its release in 2017 and I admire it even more four years on. I wrote at the time that the acid spine of this enduring season would hold its own for some years yet, and as forecast, it has accurately sustained confident tension of citrus, apple, pear and white peach. Its secondary universe has expanded to envelop toasty and biscuity complexity, layered with brioche, butter croissant, spice and honey. Subtle tertiary nuances of flint and pipe smoke that first appeared toward the end of its release cycle have remained without yet developing further, frozen confidently in suspended animation. The salty chalk mineral prominence, impeccable persistence and effortless appeal true to the stunning 2008 vintage hold strong and proud. It’s poised to drink now, upholding the perfect juncture between the vector of primary, crunchy fruit and the arc of mature development, with the stamina to endure for some more years yet.
94 Points, Tyson Stelzer, Champagne Guide
Pancetta wrapped scallops, sambal butter
3rd Course
Piper-Heidsieck Hors - Serie 1982, Our Price $1388
Fantastic, brushed gold colour to start before aromas come thick and fast – overripe peach, roasted mixed nuts and Manuka honey against an almost smoky and savoury backdrop. The standout feature is the sheer power, vibrancy and focus for a wine of this age. A strong palate follows, robust and creamy yet defined by punchy fruit and still searingly youthful acidity. More toasty, honey, gingerbread and aged nutty Comté before diving towards spice and cigar box. It’s quite a big wine showing the generosity of the vintage before a sustained, lengthy finish. The wine is at peak but there is no need to hurry.
98 Points, Angus Hughson, winepiolt.com
Full golden-yellow colour; very toasty old-wine bouquet which gradually opened up and revealed more with time in the glass. Aromas of toasted bread, toffee, vanilla, apricot, blood orange, quince paste; the palate full, rich and very dry, the penetrating acidity powering a very long finish. A very mature Champagne, not for everyone, but for those who enjoy aged Champagne, it's a joy. The rating is purely about pleasure.
98 Points Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Yellow gold, this Dorian Gray of a Champagne is remarkably fresh with an immediate depth to the aromas combining grilled nuts, ginger/spice and smoky sandalwood notes, and then, on taste, there’s a light underlying sandalwood toastiness, with farm butter, pine and dried apricot, almost like a white Rhône; and thanks to such substantial aromatic depth, it’s almost impossible to stop nosing it but that intensity is reprised in a rich intensity of flavour with underlying stone fruits supported by the bubbling of a gentle pressure and a mouth-wateringly dry, almost salty underpinning. Like a Montrachet with bubbles, it has enough life and vibrancy to evolve for at least another five years, possibly up to 10.
97 Points, Anthony Rose, The Real Review
Piper-Heidsieck Hors- Serie Sauvage 1982, Our Price $1388
A more golden colour, looking slightly older than the Hors Série, and very little gas pressure remained. Vanilla, crème patissière and nutty aromas: this has more of the toffee, crème caramel notes because of longer time aging on its dosage. The taste is voluminous, with magnificent flavour and mellow richness. Fruit flavours are almost absent due to great age. Very complex, rich and mellow, and more ample than the Hors Série. The rating is purely hedonic. (60:40 pinot noir/chardonnay. The original disgorgement, disgorged in 1992 after 10 years on lees.
98 Points Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Completely different in colour to Hors-Série, a rich old gold in the glass, and not unexpectedly this shows much more in the way of rich autumn bonfire smoke in the aroma, exotic with dried apricot and mango notes and grilled hazelnuts too, and then, when you taste the wine, a creamy-textured richness and generosity of fruit envelops the tongue with a smoky/toasty element to it, a broader sweetness in goût anglaise traditional Champagne style, richer and rounder, with a continuation of that underlying smoky/woody feeling, its gentle bubbles bursting with a mouthwatering pineapple-citrus acidity, almost a saltiness, on the finish. Now at its perfect peak.
97 Points Anthony Rose, The Real Review
Crayfish, crushed filo, tarragon beurre blanc
4th Course
Rare 2013, Our Price $473
Originally a part of the legendary Piper-Heidsieck Champagne house, Rare is moving their Champagne Millésime to a new brand and want it to stand alone. (Think Delamotte and Salon.) The 13th vintage for this cuvée, the 2013 Champagne Millésime is a blend is 70% Chardonnay with the rest Pinot Noir, with the majority of the blend coming from the Montagne de Reims Grand Cru and Premier Cru. A bright yellow hue, its aromatics are exquisite and well-balanced, with fresh notes of key lime, candied apple, fresh croissant dough, fresh pineapple, and honeysuckle. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with a rounded and supple texture and a pillowy mousse. It’s long on the palate and has a silky personality as well as a long, pristine finish. It has fantastic balance of decadence and freshness, and I could drink this all day. It’s going to have a long drinking window.
98 Points, Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com
This is a vintage described by the house as ‘dazzling’ for the unique light in autumn and also for its sunny spring delivering twice the usual sunlight . Villers-Marmery is very pure and fresh with its chalk expression and its lemon and lime nuances, which are pronounced here in an exceptionally vibrant and mineral style, a surprise for a cuvée that is not led by Côte des Blancs chardonnay. Pinot noir was sourced mostly from Verzy, with a cool climate very important for preserving the minerality of Rare. 2013 is the quintessential match between the style of Rare and the freshness of the season. A vintage for long ageing - give it at least ten years.
97 Points, Tyson Stelzer, champagne.guide
Rare 2008, Our Price $459
Rare 2008 Magnum, Our Price $1105
Regis Camus’ nickname for the vintage is “the infinite”, 'because we don’t know when it will end!'
The tension, poise and mineral brilliance of 2008 are of grand proportions here, evolving at 15 years of age with growing nuances of brioche, crème brûlée and mocha, while upholding a wonderfully tense core of lemon and grapefruit, with the tang of morello cherries.
97 Points, Tyson Stelzer, champagne.guide
Exquisitely elegant…radiantly fruity and mineral, but still holding back plenty. … On the palate it is tightly knit and driven with its crisp acidity perfectly bound to the radiant fruitiness. Lacey texture with shows tension, the wine finishes to a palate-cleansinly fresh salty tang. Really refined vintage of Rare with majestic longevity ahead.
96 - 99/100 Points, Essi Avellan MW, EssiAvellan.com
Like a stallion out of the gate, this shows an initial explosion of power, in the form of mouthwatering flavours and fine texture, before quickly settling into an elegant gait. The racy acidity is seamlessly knit, buoying the lacy mousse and flavours of cassis, toasted brioche and tangerine, with accents of candied ginger, hazelnut and fleur de sel lingering on the long, creamy finish. Drink now through 2035.
97 Points, Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator
Roasted dhufish, saffron braised tomatoes
5th Course
Piper-Heidsieck Rosé Sauvage NV, Our Price $117
A rich and toasty rosé Champagne backed by a steely spine of mouthwatering acidity, with a satiny mousse wrapping the firm structure and carrying a finely meshed range of raspberry coulis, blood orange granita, roasted hazelnut, candied ginger and a tangy streak of salinity, which cleans the palate on the racy finish. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Drink now.
93 Points, Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator
Medium to full ruby to brick-red colour. The bouquet is based on red and dark fruits, especially berries, with a lacing of spices. The palate is quite rich and deep with lots of flavour - but it's not tannic. Dry, savoury and fine, with a long, warming finish. Stacks of pinot character.
92 Points Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Glowing deep cherry pink in colour, this really is a statement rosé Champagne, the aromas just as seductive as the hue. Strawberries, peaches and plums dominate the palate, with a spiced orange note to the finish. Its rich, full-bodied mouthfeel can stand up to most rich dishes. 20% of red wine was used in the blend and it was aged for 3 years before disgorgement.
91 Points Natalie Earl, Decanter
Rare Rosé 2014, Our Price $601
Rare Rosé 2014 Magnum, Our Price $1984
Bursts with vibrant energy as soon as this hits the palate yet is refined and elegant throughout – akin to a prima ballerina's marriage of stored power and grace. Reveals a lovely range of strawberry coulis, blood orange granita, raw almond, honeycomb, smoke and chalk notes framed by chiselled acidity and carried on the vivacious, finely detailed mousse. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
97 Points, Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator
A tense and tightly coiled Rare Rosé of medium to full salmon hue that unites the tension of fine-grained tannins with the cut of 2014 acidity and the omnipresent salt mineral structure of lauded crus. An intense core of blood orange, cumquat and morello cherry is accented with tamarillo and spice. This is a rosé built primarily around the tremendous structure and precision of chardonnay, micro-engineered for the long-haul. Give it at least another decade in the cellar.
96 Points, Tyson Stelzer, champagne.guide
"The 14th vintage of Rare, the 2014 Champagne Millésime Rosé has 9 grams per litre dosage, and most of the Pinot Noir in it comes from Verzy, with the red wine coming from Les Ricey. Pouring a brilliant orange/pink hue, the wine is juicy and fresh with aromas of wild strawberry tart, graham, blood orange, and a hint of cardamom. Medium to full-bodied, its mousse is inviting and adds just a hint of spice character, with notes of grapefruit pith on the finish. A bit more reserved on opening, it will benefit with more time to open and show its best, but it has a very attractive structure.
96 Points, Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com
Veal fillet, fondant potatoes, onion cream
To finish…
Chocolate oblivion, cream. Espresso
Our Host, Tyson Stelzer
Tyson Stelzer is a multi-award-winning wine writer, television host and producer, author of 18 wine books, international keynote speaker and wine show chairman and judge.
He was named The International Wine & Spirit Communicator of the Year 2015 (in the International Wine & Spirit Competition), the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year 2015 and 2013 (The Wine Communicators of Australia) and The International Champagne Writer of the Year 2011 (in The Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards).
In 2021 he was named the Most Influential Opinion Maker in the annual power list of Who’s Who in Australia by Meininger’s Wine Business International (Germany)
As a television presenter, Tyson is the host and producer of the People of the Vines series. He is the author of six editions of The Champagne Guide, a regular columnist for many magazines, and a contributor to Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine.
As an international speaker, Tyson has presented at wine events across Australia, France, Italy, Austria, Greece, Montenegro, the US, UK, Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa and New Zealand . He is a regular judge and chairman at wine shows throughout Australia and is a co-creator with UK wine writer Matthew Jukes of The Great Australian Red Competition and The Great New Zealand Pinot Noir Classification. Tyson is a tutor at the Len Evens Tutorial, considered to be the most exclusive wine school in the world.
He is the creator and host of The Champagne Tour, the Advanced Champagne Certificate and of Taste Champagne, the biggest global champagne showcase, with events across Australia, the UK and Hong Kong.
Tyson is the founder and director of Teen Rescue Foundation, a charity to actively discourage and reduce harmful alcohol use and its consequences among under-age teens. He has raised more than $468,000 for charities through his philanthropic initiatives over the past decade.
He is a winner of the Best French Wine Book in Australia 2020 and 2014, Best Digital Wine Book in Australia 2017, Digital Wine Communicator of the Year 2015, Best Wine Book of the Year 2014, Best Trade or Technical Writer of the Year 2013 and the Award for Best Food and Wine Writing 2008.
Tyson Stelzer’s status as a wine writer and author continues to soar.
James Halliday
Stelzer is a persuasive new voice… the new kid on the block with a very bright future.
World of Fine Wine, UK
Tyson Stelzer is one of Australia’s youngest, most serious and greatest wine writers.
John Jens Lamont’s Wine Store, Perth
Stelzer continues to baffle world-leading wine reviewers and writers with his depth of knowledge and exceptional palate.
Dan Murphy’s
Of the new generation of Champagne specialists, Tyson Stelzer is certainly one of the most interesting.
Decanter Magazine, UK
Stelzer has been in the game just 15 years but he could well be the next James Halliday, such is his intellect, organisation and communication skills, work ethic, humility and above all his palate.
Wine Business Magazine
tysonstelzer.com
Piper Heidsieck
AWARDS
The International Wine Challenge
Champion Sparkling Wine: The world’s most respected Wine Show.
18000+ entrants and 300+ judges.
IWC Champion Sparkling Wine 2023 -
Daniel Thibault Trophy ………………. Rare 2008
IWC Champion Sparkling Wine 2022 -
Daniel Thibault Trophy ………………. Rare 2008
IWC Champion Sparkling Wine 2021 -
Daniel Thibault Trophy ……………….. Rare 2008
No. 1 Ranked Champagne - The Tastingbook’s 100 Best Champagnes 2022
Vintage Classic Blend Champagne Trophy – International Wine Challenge 2020
Gold Medal – International Wine Challenge 2020
Gold Medal – International Wine Challenge 2021
Best in Class: Deluxe Champagne Vintage Brut – The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships 2021
Gold Medal – The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships 2021
Gold Medal – The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships 2020
Best Champagne of the World – Best Wine of the World Competition 2021
Best Champagne of the World – Best Wine of the World Competition 2022
Gold Medal – Decanter World Wine Awards 2021
Champagne Master Medal – Drinks Business Best Champagnes of 2021
#2 of 20 – Essi Avellan MW’s Top Wines, 2008 v 2009 Prestige Cuvee Champagne,
The World of Fine Wine Magazine, Issue 74
#3 of 27 – Simon Field MW’s Top Wines, 2008 v 2009 Prestige Cuvee Champagne,
The World of Fine Wine Magazine, Issue 74
#2 of 24 - Anthony Rose’s Top Wines, 2008 v 2009 Prestige Cuvee Champagne,
The World of Fine Wine Magazine, Issue 74
The Rare Champagne 2008 is just the eleventh vintage created since 1976.
The Champagne Guide Edition VII:
The Champagne Guide Edition VII is in a new magnum-sized format! It’s more than 50 percent bigger than the previous edition and more than three times the size of the first five editions, featuring a record 1260 reviews in 1687 tastings from 142 houses across 880 pages and 460,000 words (that’s six average novels!). The book is more than two inches thick and weighs more than a magnum of champagne! This affords more space for more detailed introductions to each house and more in-depth reviews of every cuvée. Louis Roederer alone features 48 cuvées
across 28 pages!
Champagne takes on additional dimensions, depth and complexity in time, and so too does The Champagne Guide! Over 14 years of frequent visits with all the chef de caves, principals and growers of note, I have dutifully recorded all of their stories, anecdotes and insights verbatim in my notes and for the first time I am delighted to share these in greater detail than ever before. This book is the wild fermentation of all the behind-the-scenes secrets that bring every cuvée, every house and every personality to life. These pages open a window into the champagne world to present to you a panorama wider, more detailed and more spectacular than ever. The Champagne Guide Edition VII is your invitation to take your champagne journey to all new depths!
Accolades from Previous Edition I-VI:
‘The best guide ever published on Champagne.’
Huon Hooke, The Sydney Morning Herald
‘Tyson Stelzer has risen to become one of the most
insightful and trusted champagne critics on Earth.’
Chelsea Vintners, UK
‘The most comprehensive and finely wrought and
written book on champagne I have ever seen.’
Matthew Jukes, UK
‘A truly global publication and one of the most
comprehensive of its type in the world.’
The Age
‘Tyson Stelzer has been long regarded as one of the
world’s leading commentators on Champagne.’
Anne Krebiehl MW, The Buyer, UK
‘Attention to detail is quite extraordinary.
’James Halliday
‘The definitive guide to all things Champagne.’
Drinks Trade
‘The benchmark global reference to champagne.’
goodfood.com.au
‘Like all good books, when you put this one down, you feel you know the players personally in all their Champenois resilience, variety and valor.’
Michael Edwards, World of Fine Wine, UK
The Price List
To book tickets to this event click here!