Interview With Emilien Boutillat – Chief Winemaker at Piper-Heidsieck

The love of Champagne is infinite, a language that everyone can understand, a sparkle that can shine in anyone’s glass, it can connect people, brings them together and places a smile on faces around the world.

In this exclusive feature on Glass of Bubbly, we speak with Emilien Boutillat, the Chief Winemaker at Champagne Piper-Heidsieck, let’s discover a little about his life, his journey into the industry and one of his favourite Champagne memories.

It’s Great to Speak with You Emilien, Can You Tell Us a Little About Yourself & Your Incredible Journey Into The Wine Industry?

“I was lucky to be born into a family of Champagne and I am very attached to this terroir. My father is a winegrower and makes his own Champagne. By growing up in a world of winemaking and viticulture – pruning the vines, and working in the cellar with my father – I developed a strong passion for all aspects of winemaking creation. I am inspired not only by my family but also by my different personal experiences.

I wanted to discover other wines and meet other winemakers with different visions of Champagne to develop the broadest vision of winemaking. So, I chose the School of Agronomy of Montpellier: Montpellier SupAgro, which included both enology and viticulture, because you cannot make great wines without great grapes. I became a winemaker, but also an agronomist engineer specialized in viticulture.

Then I decided for three years to do two harvests a year: one in September in the northern hemisphere and one in February in the southern hemisphere. I had the chance to work at Châteauneuf-du-Pape (in the Côtes du Rhône), at Château Margaux (Bordeaux) and in New Zealand, California, Chile, South Africa.

All these experiences, in France and around the world taught me a lot in terms of openness: discovering different winemaking techniques from different sides of the world, different grapes variety and soil typicity.

After these trips around the world, I wanted to go back to my roots in Champagne using what I had learnt. I worked for six harvests at Cattier and Armand de Brignac before joining Piper-Heidsieck in 2018 as Chief Winemaker.”

Do You Remember Your First Experience With Champagne? When It Was And What Kind Of Wine It Was?

“I drank my first drop of Champagne when I was a baby. Indeed, it is a Champagne tradition to taste the family’s Champagne when you are a newborn.

On a more serious note, as a teenager, I discovered ‘vins clairs’, the art of blending and Champagne with my father, a winemaker and winegrower.”

For Anyone Looking To Explore Champagne Piper-Heidsieck For The First Time, What Label Would You Personally Recommend They Try First?

“I think my recommendation would be different depending on the time of day. I would tend to start the aperitif with Cuvée Brut and continue with Essentiel during the meal.

It also depends on the drinker’s profile. For ‘new drinkers’, I would recommend Cuvée Brut, the flagship of Piper-Heidsieck. This cuvée is the DNA of the House and represents perfectly its style. More than 100 crus are at the origin of this cuvée, representing the great diversity of the Champagne terroir. A vibrant, vertical wine. As I like to say, a complex but not complicated wine!

I would recommend Essentiel for ‘wine lovers’. This cuvée is the gastronomic expression of the Piper-Heidsieck style, a bit more complex. This multi-vintage cuvée featured a blend of 3 varieties, with a magnificent structure, a great balance and freshness. Wine enthusiasts will appreciate extended ageing period, Extra Brut dosage and transparent information.”

Piper-Heidsieck Have Recently Released A New Marketing Campaign, ‘Twists The Script’ Can You Share With Us A Little More About How The Campaign Is Embodied In Your Winemaking Choices?

“Twist the Script” campaign brings to life how Piper-Heidsieck has been doing things differently and defying convention in many ways over the House’s history. This is embedded in Piper-Heidsieck’s DNA for decades and remains a driving force behind my approach to winemaking today.

One of the first Twist is around Pinot Noir, the House’s emblematic grape variety. Pinot Noir usually offers powerful, structured wines in Champagne. In contrast, at Piper-Heidsieck we want to emphasize its vibrancy and minerality to produce vertical and elegant wines. Our Essentiel Blanc de Noirs embodies this approach perfectly.

Another bold approach is to twist the concept of prestige cuvée. Instead of a traditional, classic prestige vintage cuvée, we chose to have a collection of exclusive, limited-edition and free-spirited wines from Champagne with the Hors-Serie collection. After two revisited oenotheque vintages, 1971 and 1982, we’ve taken an even more innovative approach with our new Hors-Série Coteaux Champenois 2022 which launched only a few days ago. With strong, bold choices such as making a still white wine from Pinot Noir, using only stainless-steel vats for elaboration, and choosing a screw cap to respect and preserve the expression of two Grands Crus terroirs. The objective was to shake up conventions and push back boundaries.

Twisting the script in Winemaking is also adapting our practices to climate change to keep our style consistent year after year. It means looking more closely to cooler terroirs, re-thinking the importance of Meunier in our Blend and choosing to block the malolactic fermentation more frequently in order to preserve the vibrancy of our style.

We also have a unique approach in terms of tasting. We have eight winemakers on the tasting panel, with a philosophy of blind tasting. The aim is to remain as impartial as possible, regardless of Cru, Terroir and origin of the grapes. Only the quality and style of the wine in our glass will guide us in choosing the right destination and blend for the wine.”

What Future Plans Can Enthusiasts Of Piper-Heidsieck Look Forward To In The Coming Years?

“Our main ambition is to continue to improve the quality of our Champagnes year after year while striving to have an ever-smaller footprint on the planet.

The quality of the wines is achieved through genuine teamwork, continuous improvement, and innovation. The feedback we receive from sommeliers, consumers, journalists and Champagne lovers on our wines, the recognition and results obtained during major international blind tasting competitions, are all positive signs that we are on the right track and that we must continue on this path.

In terms of our CSR commitment, we have set several objectives, and the first milestones will be in 2025 and 2030. One of the first steps is to renew our B Corp certification in 2025. This certification encourages us to innovate and constantly rethink the way we operate across all CSR pillars. It’s a constant work in progress!

We set up mid-term and long-term objectives regarding many other topics: sustainable certification for our partners in the vineyards, biodiversity, reduction of waste, water and energy consumption…

Finally, since 1785, Piper-Heidsieck has been making history by doing things differently. Its past, present and future continue to be marked by passionate people, who dare to be different and defy the odds. Piper-Heidsieck champagne truly Twists the Script, recent examples of this include becoming the first B Corp certified Champagne house, reaffirming its pioneering spirit and commitment to sustainability. A new chapter that just keeps on going. Stay tuned.”

How Rewarding And Challenging Is Working As The Chief Winemaker Of Piper-Heidsieck?

“I am lucky to be in a Champagne House that trusted me when I was very young, and that generally trusts young people in its teams. At Piper-Heidsieck, there is a real desire to share knowledge and expertise. When I arrived, I took the time to taste with Regis Camus (the house’s former cellar master) and the team, to get a feel for the house’s style and history.

Humility is key when you become Cellar Master of such an historic and iconic Champagne House. We all are just passing through a House that has been in business for almost 240 years. It is therefore important, to listen to and share with the team always, to preserve the legacy of the brand and to transmit the Piper-Heidsieck know-how and to preserve the legacy of the brand. That is an important lesson to always remember.

Of course, there are some challenges, including one that concerns all of us: Climate change. It is affecting us more and more, with extreme weather: spring frost, hail, heatwaves, floods, … Over the past 30 years, we also harvest earlier and earlier and the maturity of the grapes is higher and higher. In that context of changes, we need to adapt our ways of producing grapes and wines in order to preserve the freshness, the potential of ageing and our style. Sustainable farming, picking dates, interest of cooler terroirs, blocking malolactic fermentation, reducing the dosage are some of the responses we, as a team, still have to adapt to climate change and preserve the style of our Champagnes.”

Can You Share With Us One Of The Most Memorable Experiences You’ve Enjoyed With A Glass of Champagne?

“The most memorable tasting was the first time I tasted the Piper-Heidsieck 1971 vintage on pointe with the entire oenological team. It was a very emotional tasting.

The wine was incredibly well preserved and beautifully fresh. It allowed me to immerse even more in the history of the House. Following this tasting, which made a real impression on me, the very first Hors-Série was crafted. It was a defining moment for the House.”

What’s The Oldest Vintage Of Champagne Piper-Heidsieck That You’ve Tasted?

“One of the oldest vintages I have tasted is Piper-Heidsieck Vintage 1947. I am really lucky that I have been able to taste a vintage that’s over 70 years old! I also tasted several vintages from the 60s. The most moving tasting was certainly the 1971 vintage, with its beautiful freshness and incredible length.”

Thank you Emilien, for sharing your story and experiences with us and we at Glass of Bubbly wish you the very best for the future!

Images belong to Champagne Piper-Heidsieck. Miles Aldridge is the photographer for the ‘Twist The Script’ campaign. Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.