Règis Camus: Piper Heidsieck Champagne Interview

Règis Camus: Piper Heidsieck Champagne Interview

Règis Camus: Piper Heidsieck Champagne Interview

International eXcellence Magazine Interviews Règis Camus, Oenologist at Piper-Heidsieck Champagne.
 
How and when did Piper-Heidsieck start and who runs it today?
Piper-Heidsieck was founded in 1785 by Florens-Louis Heidsieck. Born in Westphalia in 1749, the son of a Protestant minister started out as a draper in Reims where he fell in love with a girl from Champagne… and with the wine from Champagne. He was a self-educated man, overcome with the ambition “to make a cuvée worthy of a queen”. In 2012, Piper-Heidsieck was bought by French luxury group EPI, which is directed by Christopher Descours.
What is the Piper Heidsieck style?
Piper-Heidsieck is a Grande classic champagne with a great structure, fruity note and full bodied. 
How did you start in the business?
Following studies in biology and biochemistry, I trained as a winemaker in Reims and began my career in a champagne cooperative before joining Piper-Heidsieck at the request of Daniel Thibault in 1994.
What skills do you most value in producing great champagne?
Rigour, passion, vigilance, and intuition. To create and elaborate the Piper-Heidsieck non-vintage Brut, which represents the style and the identity of the House, I really need those skills. Indeed the aim is to ensure this Cuvée has the same quality each year no matter how the harvest was.
What is the process in making the perfect champagne?
Every single champagne begins with the sourcing of highest quality grapes and gentle vinifications which leave wines to express themselves naturally. From the end of October, we begin the first tastings of the clear wines. This stage allows the team of oenologists to get into the right mind-set for the year ahead. In December, the wines are allowed to rest and then from January, we begin tasting them again. If the wine is full enough, if the year is good, we can anticipate making a vintage. The wine then has to be bottled, as well as not forgetting to build up our collection of reserve wines.
What unique flavours do you bring to your champagne?
Our different champagnes have different unique flavours. Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut is dominated by fresh fruits with pear and russet apple, and a few hints of citrus fruits such as star fruit. Our latest Vintage 2006 features ripe fruits such as peaches and apricots. The Cuvée Rare 2002 expresses exotic fruits like mango, passion fruit, pineapple and even litchi. Cuvée Rosé Sauvage features a notion of citrus fruits such as orange and red fruits such as blackcurrant, blackberry and cherry.
 
What had the most influence on you and your business?
Weather has the biggest influence on the vineyards: we cannot control it and have to deal with that. Concerning the wine, passion and intuition are the biggest influences.
How is the brand marketed so it stands out from the others?
Founded in 1785, the Piper-Heidsieck Maison is one of the oldest Maisons de Champagne with an amazing history. Owned today by the family Descours, representing the “luxe à la française”, it keeps the image of a Grande and prestigious Maison. A part of the history is the link with cinema: Piper-Heidsieck has been the official Cannes Film Festival champagne for 20 years. Always focusing on wine excellence, 16 Brand Ambassadors “spread the word”.  
What is the most excellent Cuvée you have produced yet?
The Rare Millésime 2002 is so far the most excellent champagne we have produced. It won three gold medals and received 95 to 97 out of 100 points from Wine Spectator and Gilbert et Gaillard, to mention a few.
What are your plans for the future?
Continue delivering wine excellence…