Savinelli Champagne 101 Smooth Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates, 6mm

Description

It is probably fair to say that Savinelli is Italy’s most famous pipe brand. Founded in Milan in 1876 by Achille Savinelli, the brand has continuously offered high quality pipes for nearly 150 years. Though various Savinelli lines have come and gone over the years, the brand has always been notable for putting out classically styled pipes with a distinctly Italian twist.

The Champagne is one of Savinelli’s many discontinued lines. In other words, it’s no longer in production. Why is it discontinued? Who knows. One could hazard a guess that it’s because Savinelli’s business model has been, in recent decades, one of constant renewal, with new lines introduced every year (sometimes many new lines)—which is not always a bad thing, but it does mean that a lot of nice pipes get left by the wayside. One possible reason for the Champagne’s demise might be the grain, as such pipes typically had rather beautiful patterning and just a light stain draped over them. As I mentioned with the Savinelli Virginia estate we had in recently, good briar is expensive and, if one wants to make pipes in a relatively natural finish such as this, it has become increasingly difficult to do so in an affordable and cost-effective manner. In any case, this one is a lovely rendition of Savinelli’s shape “101,” a large billiard in the traditional English vein, with bowl alive with bird’s-eye, a vulcanite mouthpiece, and a narrow, very tasteful, brass accent inlaid at its base.

The condition is very good. Very minor rim darkening and a couple of slight scratches on the bowl. As with most Savinelli pipes, this one is chambered to allow for the use of 6mm filters if desired, such as Savinelli’s own balsa filters, but will perform perfectly well without one.

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.32mm

Bowl Width: 0.85 / 21.59mm

Bowl Depth: 1.72″ / 43.68mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g