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Piper-Heidsieck

(Redirected from Ferdinand-Théodore Kunkelmann)

Piper-Heidsieck is a Champagne house founded by Florens-Louis Heidsieck in 1785 in Reims, France.[1] Piper-Heidsieck was acquired on July 8, 2011, by the French luxury group EPI (Entreprise Patrimoniale d’Investissements)[2], controlled by the Descours family. Before that, the house was owned by the Rémy Cointreau wine and spirits group since 1988.[3]

PIPER-HEIDSIECK
Wine regionReims
AppellationChampagne (wine region)
Known for
Brut (non-vintage)
VarietalsPinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier
Websitepiper-heidsieck.com
Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut

Marilyn Monroe was one of the House's earliest supporters, rumoured to have kept a month's supply of champagne in her kitchen.[4]

Champagne

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Piper-Heidsieck produces different champagnes, all with a non-malolactic, low-dosage method:[3]

  • Cuvée Brut (non-vintage) (Composition: 55% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Meunier.)
  • Rosé Sauvage (non-vintage) (Composition: 45% Pinot noir, 15% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Meunier)
  • Cuvée Sublime (non-vintage) A demi-sec champagne. (Composition: 55% Pinot noir, 15% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Meunier)
  • Brut (Vintage 2006) (vintage) A special release from a year considered exceptional by Piper-Heidsieck. (Composition: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay.)
  • Cuvée Rare (vintage 2002) (Composition: 30% Pinot noir, 70% Chardonnay.)

Owning no vineyards of their own, Piper-Heidsieck sources grapes from 60 vineyards in the Champagne region, and produces around five million bottles of champagne a year.[citation needed]

History

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Piper-Heidsieck early 20th century Chinese advertisement from Hong Kong

It all began with Florens-Louis Heidsieck. Born in 1749, this son of a Protestant pastor from Westphalia settled as a draper in Reims, where he fell in love with a woman from Champagne... and with Champagne wine. Self-taught, he was driven by a great ambition: "to create a cuvée worthy of a queen." In 1785, he founded the trading house of drapes and Champagne wines, Heidsieck & Cie. He became a master of his craft to the point of having the honor of personally presenting his wine to Queen Marie-Antoinette.[5]

Upon Florens-Louis's death in 1828, his nephew Christian Heidsieck partnered with Henri-Guillaume Piper who used his good sense of commerce. From the Habsburg princes to the emperors of China, fourteen royal or imperial courts granted him the privilege of "patented supplier." Around the world, high society desired "the wine of Piper, crafted by Heidsieck." In 1835, Christian Heidsieck died, and in 1838, his wife remarried Henri-Guillaume Piper.

The name Piper-Heidsieck was born.[6]

Upon Henri-Guillaume's death in 1870, Jacques-Charles Théodore Kunkelmann, who had been a partner since 1851, took the reins of the house.[7] In 1892, his son, Ferdinand-Théodore, succeeded him. His daughter Yolande married Marquis Jean de Suarez d’Aulan in 1926. A pioneer of aviation, this extraordinary man promoted the house by flying around the world in his own plane. During World War II, he accepted the task of hiding weapons in the cellar that would be used by the Champagne Resistance. The day before his arrest by the Gestapo, he fled to North Africa, became a fighter pilot in the famous Lafayette Escadrille, and died in combat in 1944. The Piper-Heidsieck house was placed under sequestration by the occupier and would likely have perished by the Liberation if it hadn't been brilliantly revived by Yolande Kunkelmann d'Aulan, supported by General Baron d’Alès, with whom she remarried in 1945.

François d’Aulan, the eldest son of Marquis Jean de Suarez d’Aulan and Yolande Kunkelmann, succeeded her in 1957. He presided over the Piper-Heidsieck Champagnes for thirty-three years, balancing development imperatives with family sustainability. In 1988, he passed the torch to the Hériard-Dubreuil family. The family holding EPI, specialized in the wine and luxury sectors and led by Christopher Descours, acquired the company in 2011.[8]

As for the cellar masters, in 2002, Régis Camus took over the production of the wines of the Piper-Heidsieck house for 16 years,[9] passing the reins to Emilien Boutillat[10] in 2018, who became the youngest cellar master of a major Champagne house at the age of 31.

In July 2022, the house obtained B Corp certification.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Discover: Piper Heidsieck Champagne". EAT LOVE SAVOR. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  2. ^ "Rémy Cointreau cède Piper et Charles Heidsieck à EPI". WineAlley.com. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  3. ^ a b Stevenson, Tom (1999). Christie's World Encyclopedia Of Champagne & Sparkling Wine. San Francisco, CA: Wine Appreciation Guild. p. 111. ISBN 1-891267-06-X.
  4. ^ Bell, words: Emily (2020-02-07). "9 Things You Should Know About Piper-Heidsieck Champagne". VinePair. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  5. ^ "Made in France : Piper-Heidsieck en effervescence". Le Point (in French). 2013-07-07. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  6. ^ "Piper-Heidsieck". La Revue du vin de France (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  7. ^ "Piper - Union des Maisons de Champagne". maisons-champagne.com. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  8. ^ "La famille Descours est prête à s'offrir Piper-Heidsieck" (in French). 2011-03-01. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  9. ^ "Régis Camus quitte les champagnes Piper-Heidsieck". www.vitisphere.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  10. ^ "Tous sports : Émilien Boutillat, enfant de la bulle". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  11. ^ Tesson, Yves (2022-08-29). "[EXCLU] La branche champagne du groupe EPI décroche la certification B Corp". Terre de Vins (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-14.
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