Columbus, OH-based Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR) has teamed up with Piper-Heidsieck to create an exclusive Champagne blend. Piper-Heidsieck Essentiel By Cameron Mitchell, which launched Oct. 10, will be available at 34 CMR restaurants, including 17 Ocean Prime locations coast to coast.
Members of CMR’s team, including director of beverage Andrea Cornwell and regional directors Zach Montgomery and Mike Davis, traveled to Reims, France, to meet with Piper-Heidsieck CEO Benoît Collard and chief winemaker Émilien Boutillat to taste and select the blend. The cuvée is 45% pinot noir, 36% pinot meunier and 19% chardonnay.
Piper-Heidsieck has partnered with just a few on-premise venues and sommeliers around the world, including Riley Huddleston at The Lido House in California, The Atlas in Singapore and the Michelin-starred restaurant The Coach in the U.K The Champagne house produced 2,500 bottles of Essentiel By Cameron Mitchell, which is available for $30 a glass or $120 a bottle.
CMR offers the exclusive Champagne at Ocean Prime locations (except New York), as well as Cameron’s American Bistro; Cento; The Guild House; Martini Modern Italian; The Barn at Rocky Fork Creek; Del Mar SoCal Kitchen; Del Mar Naples; Prime Social; Hudson 29 Kitchen + Drink; Valentina’s; The Pearl; The Avenue Steak Tavern and Lincoln Social. It will be available at future CMR locations opening in 2024, including Big Rock Italian Chophouse in Birmingham, MI; Butcher & Rose, Columbus; and Ocean Prime Sarasota.
New Orleans restaurant Commander’s Palace in August launched a private-label French sparkling wine called Commander’s Palace Cuvée Brut. The pinot noir-based crémant de Bourgogne is produced in partnership with the Terres Secrètes cooperative winery.