The 2012 Rare Champagne from Piper Heidsieck is a late-released prestige cuvée built on a 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir blend drawn from roughly a dozen top crus, centered on Villers-Marmery in the eastern Montagne de Reims with Côte des Blancs support, aged a full decade on lees and finished at a Brut dosage of about 8 g/L. The house completed full malolactic to balance the vintage’s concentration, and these bottles were recently disgorged after 10 years on the lees in 2022, which explains the wine’s striking combination of mature autolytic depth and vivid freshness. In the glass, expect ripe citrus, stone, and tropical notes over toasted almond and pastry, a fine, persistent bead, and a long, saline finish. Already outstanding yet clearly structured for decades of positive evolution, this is consistently one of the top buys for Tete de Cuvee Champagne from one of the big houses, especially at this low pricing!
James Suckling 97 points! "Complex notes of buttered toast, orange rind, licorice, fig and brioche on the nose, followed by honey and salted caramel on the palate. It’s layered, powerful and rich, yet so fresh and lively, with very fine bubbles that are well integrated. Long and intense. 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir. At least 10 years on the lees. 8g/L dosage. Drink or hold."
Vinous 96 points! "The 2012 Brut Millésime blends 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, with Chardonnay mainly from Montagne de Reims and a small portion from Côte des Blancs, giving it a slightly unusual yet eternally sleek Chardonnay bent. It spent a decade on the lees. Its nose is a smoky wonder, combining ripe, almost tropical fruit with a gorgeous toasty sense of grilled almonds. An overtone of candied orange peel flashes up momentarily. The palate brings wonderfully golden plum fruit, ripe yet fresh, juicy and utterly aromatic, verging on apricot and always surrounded by a toasty, warming frisson of grilled nuts, pervaded by a streak of finest freshness. This is immensely youthful, captured with brilliantly pure fruit and lasting expression that rings long in a toasty umami echo. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. "
Jeb Dunnuck 96 points! "Golden yellow-hued, the 2012 Champagne Millésime has notes of pineapple, brûléed citrus, honeyed ginger, and lemon curd. Round and full, it offers a pillowy mousse with a long finish. It has more ripeness than the 2013 but has fantastic underlying tension and acidity. It’s deceiving, as it is quite approachable now but also has the bones to age over the coming decades."
2012 Piper Heidsieck Rare Champagne
2012 Piper Heidsieck Rare Champagne
The 2012 Rare Champagne from Piper Heidsieck is a late-released prestige cuvée built on a 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir blend drawn from roughly a dozen top crus, centered on Villers-Marmery in the eastern Montagne de Reims with Côte des Blancs support, aged a full decade on lees and finished at a Brut dosage of about 8 g/L. The house completed full malolactic to balance the vintage’s concentration, and these bottles were recently disgorged after 10 years on the lees in 2022, which explains the wine’s striking combination of mature autolytic depth and vivid freshness. In the glass, expect ripe citrus, stone, and tropical notes over toasted almond and pastry, a fine, persistent bead, and a long, saline finish. Already outstanding yet clearly structured for decades of positive evolution, this is consistently one of the top buys for Tete de Cuvee Champagne from one of the big houses, especially at this low pricing!
James Suckling 97 points! "Complex notes of buttered toast, orange rind, licorice, fig and brioche on the nose, followed by honey and salted caramel on the palate. It’s layered, powerful and rich, yet so fresh and lively, with very fine bubbles that are well integrated. Long and intense. 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir. At least 10 years on the lees. 8g/L dosage. Drink or hold."
Vinous 96 points! "The 2012 Brut Millésime blends 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, with Chardonnay mainly from Montagne de Reims and a small portion from Côte des Blancs, giving it a slightly unusual yet eternally sleek Chardonnay bent. It spent a decade on the lees. Its nose is a smoky wonder, combining ripe, almost tropical fruit with a gorgeous toasty sense of grilled almonds. An overtone of candied orange peel flashes up momentarily. The palate brings wonderfully golden plum fruit, ripe yet fresh, juicy and utterly aromatic, verging on apricot and always surrounded by a toasty, warming frisson of grilled nuts, pervaded by a streak of finest freshness. This is immensely youthful, captured with brilliantly pure fruit and lasting expression that rings long in a toasty umami echo. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. "
Jeb Dunnuck 96 points! "Golden yellow-hued, the 2012 Champagne Millésime has notes of pineapple, brûléed citrus, honeyed ginger, and lemon curd. Round and full, it offers a pillowy mousse with a long finish. It has more ripeness than the 2013 but has fantastic underlying tension and acidity. It’s deceiving, as it is quite approachable now but also has the bones to age over the coming decades."
