Piper Heidsieck Coteaux Champenois Blanc de Noirs Ambonnay 2022
Champagne 12.5% ABV ABV Piper HeidsieckGood but pricey
Look, this is a solid wine. Nice fruit, clean finish, clearly well made. But £69 for a still red? I've had Burgundy at that price that excited me more. If you're curious about Coteaux Champenois it's a good example, just manage your expectations on value.
Picked this up on holiday in Reims
Found this at a cave in Reims and the guy talked me into it. So glad he did. It's proper Pinot Noir from a top village and you can taste the quality — structured, complex, with a finish that goes on and on. Carried it home in my suitcase wrapped in a towel, zero regrets.
Nice but not sure I'd rebuy
Perfectly pleasant wine. Good structure, decent length on the finish, nothing to complain about really. I just kept thinking I could get two very good bottles of Pinot for the same money. Glad I tried it though, it's cool to taste what Ambonnay Pinot Noir does without the fizz.
Interesting change from bubbles
My wine shop guy recommended this when I said I wanted something different. It's a still wine made in Champagne which I didn't even know was a thing. Really well balanced — fruity but with a nice acidity that keeps it fresh. Would definitely buy again for a nice dinner at home.
Birthday treat that delivered
Got this for my 40th and wow, it did not disappoint. Still wine from Champagne is something I'd never tried before and the depth of flavour blew me away. Really complex, lots going on with every sip. At nearly seventy quid it's not an everyday thing but for a special occasion it's brilliant.
Obsessed with this
Saw this on a restaurant menu and ordered it on a whim. The mineral quality is genuinely striking and it's got this lovely persistence that just hangs around after each sip. Tracked a bottle down online the next week. One of my favourite discoveries this year.
Quietly impressive
This doesn't shout at you — it's more of a slow burner. First glass I thought it was just okay, but by the second pour it really opened up and got more interesting. Layers of fruit with a chalky mineral thing going on underneath. At 12.5% it's easy drinking too which is dangerous.
Great for a dinner party
Brought this to a friend's dinner party and it was a huge talking point. Nobody had tried a still wine from Champagne before. It's got a real elegance to it with bright acidity and ripe fruit — went perfectly with the roast chicken. Everyone wanted to know where I got it.