2018
LIMITED
EDITION
LIMITED
EDITION
B orn of a love story that began in 1785, Piper-Heidsieck is the Champagne House renowned for inspiring legendary tales — much like its own eight-decade romance with cinema. As partner to the Oscars®, the House will celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Academy Awards® with a limited-edition bottling dedicated to the Seventh Art and its power to captivate. In its elegant red and gold raiment bearing an Art Deco motif, the new magnum promises to stir a whirlwind of excitement befitting an incomparable evening. This magnum will be exclusively served at the event during the ceremony and the Governors Ball, the Academy’s official Oscars® after-party.
A bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne appeared on the silver screen just four years after the advent of talking films, the “talkies” that quickly enthralled the world. The year was 1933, the film “Sons of the Desert,” starring the irresistible duo of Laurel and Hardy. Piper-Heidsieck soon became the Champagne of choice for stars such as Ava Gardner, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart and Fred Astaire. In 1953, following her resounding success in “Gentlemen Prefer Blonds,” Marilyn Monroe confided that she wore five drops of Chanel N°5 to bed and started each day with a glass of Piper-Heidsieck. Twelve years later, Piper-Heidsieck commemorated Rex Harrison’s Oscars® for Best Actor for his role in “My Fair Lady” by unveiling a bottle 1.82 meters tall, matching the actor’s height.
True to the motto of founder Florens-Louis Heidsieck, who sought to create “wines that smile,” Piper-Heidsieck Champagne has appeared in the credits of more than 50 films, revealing a dazzling truth: around the world, a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck is uncorked every eight seconds. Perfectly in line with the red carpet and the flashing lights, Piper-Heidsieck’s iconic red and gold have made memorable appearances in a wide range of films, from “Café Society,” the Woody Allen film celebrated in 2016 by demanding audiences at the Cannes Film Festival, to “La Vie d’Adèle” (“Blue is the Warmest Colour”), which won the palme d’Or at Cannes in 2013.
Cuvée Brut, Rosé Sauvage, Cuvée Sublime, Essentiel, Vintage Brut: each iconic Piper-Heidsieck cuvée can turn a moment into a memory worth sharing. It is no coincidence that the House is partner to all major film events, including the Cannes Festival, for which it has been the official purveyor since 1993. It has also served the festivals of Deauville, Venice, Berlin and Chicago. Piper-Heidsieck has paid tribute to Julianne Moore, Nicolas Cage and Jodie Foster, presenting them at Sundance with the “Piper-Heidsieck to Independent Vision” award. Dedicated to the preservation of the cinematographic heritage with the Cinémathèque française, for which it has been the official purveyor since 2008, the House has also been a partner of the American Cinematheque since 2014, most notably at the galas dedicated to major talents such as Amy Adams, Ridley Scott, Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey.
Each of the House cuvées boasts the audacity and excellence of its founder, whose ambition was to offer a “cuvée worthy of a Queen” to Marie-Antoinette, the first avid enthusiast of Florens-Louis Heidsieck’s Champagne. The historic association with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was inaugurated in the three years between 1990 and 1992, and the bond between the two parties was finalized in 2016 with the mutual intent to form a lasting relationship, through 2020 at least. The alliance is one that was meant to be, linking the body that grants film’s highest awards with the most awarded Champagne House of the century—more than 300 medals since 2002. It has won the fervent approval of Wolfgang Puck, the legendary Chef of the Oscars®. Totally won over by the quality of the wines produced by Régis Camus, Puck opened the doors of the sumptuous Oscar® ceremony to Piper-Heidsieck. This immense honor is one of the many distinctions granted Régis Camus since he joined Piper-Heidsieck in 1994; and made Piper-Heidsieck, the most awarded House of the century.
Complementing the beautiful dresses and dazzling jewelry designed by leading fashion houses for the Oscars® every year, Piper-Heidsieck presents a limited edition bottling, exclusively available in magnums. In 2015, it tipped its hat to two icons of the movie theater: popcorn and the traditional usherette’s basket. Glassware replaced the candy while the popcorn box cleverly served as a Champagne bucket. The 2016 edition was adorned with a golden robe boasting the word “Oscars®,” and the 2017 edition bore a golden reel of film wound around a bottle enrobed entirely in royal red. In 2018, in tribute to the 90 years of Academy Awards®, the House will commemorate the Golden Age of Hollywood. Unveiled on February 5 at the Nominees Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton, the 2018 limited edition is enchantingly luxurious. Stylized palms illuminate the bottle with a 360-degree golden appliqué that mirrors the Art Deco architecture of legendary Los Angeles buildings like the Crest Theatre, the Pantages and the Wiltern. It is a decoration requiring unparalleled virtuoso technique, and the bottle is finished with the notation “90th Oscars®,” engraved in golden lettering.
Served that evening in the five bars of the Dolby Theatre and then at the Governors Ball, the Exclusive Limited Edition showcases the House signature, its Cuvée Brut.
Just like a self-assured romantic character with a strong and chatty personality. This champagne teases and allures us with its festive, light-drenched, pale gold shimmer and joyful display of neat, lively bubbles.
Notes of almond and fresh hazelnut accompany the precise ascent of its bubbles. It is lively, subtle and light, leaving a deliciously incisive sensation of smoothness, marked by the pureness of fresh pear and apple and a delicate hint of citrus fruits.
A harmonious mixture of bright, crunchy pomelo, blonde grapes and juicy white fruits creates the delightfully surprising sensation of lightness embraced by the structure and depth from the Pinot Noir; all beautifully balanced.
W e are particularly proud to commemorate this year the 90th anniversary of the Oscars®. This anniversary bottle represents the history of excellence that unites the Academy and the Piper-Heidsieck House. These magnums, bottled in Reims and enjoyed in Los Angeles, are the very expression of the universal magic of cinema, to which we are paying tribute.
BENOIT COLLARD, Executive Director for PIPER-HEIDSIECKComfortably sitting on the couch in front of the television or computer.
Self with better half and several friends - the event brings together some several hundred million television viewers across 225 countries.
Cuvée Brut
sushi / popcorn / dim sum / green tabbouleh with broccoli / roasted butternut squash with feta, pomegranate and candied lemon / fish and chips
bottles consumed during the various events
organised by the Academy
magnums consumed during the night of the Oscars®, or
flutes