Rare Champagne, Millésime Illuminated Night

Rare Champagne is so scrupulous about declaring a vintage that it has done so just 14 times since 1976. As the House states:“At Rare Champagne, we take pride in having the liberty to reveal a Millésime when the cellar master and the oenological committee deem it is time.” From inception, Rare Champagne has been synonymous with quality, and demand far outweighs supply for each declared vintage.

Originally made as Piper-Heidsieck’s prestige cuvée, Rare has been an award-winning House in its own right since 2019. However, its history can be traced back to 1785, when Florens-Louis Heidsieck presented his first ‘tête de cuvée’ to Marie Antoinette at the royal court at Versailles. This regal heritage is further referenced by its distinctive bottle shape and gold casing, nodding to the bejewelled bottle designed for Piper-Heidsieck by jeweller Pierre-Karl Fabergé in the 1800s.

Champagne legend Régis Camus made Rare Champagne for nearly three decades before retiring in March 2022. His meticulous attention to detail saw him named ‘Sparkling Winemaker of the Year’ by the IWC eight times, and in 2019, the CSWWC recognised his legacy with a Life Achievement award.

Emilien Boutillat, one of the youngest Chef de Caves in Champagne’s history, is now responsible for safeguarding Rare Champagne’s house style while leading the house into the future. He aptly continues Régis’ award-winning legacy, being twice named ‘Sparkling Winemaker of the Year’ by the IWC in 2021 and 2023. Born and raised in the region, Emilien is passionate about preserving champagne for future generations. Dedicated to sustainability, he was a driving force in Rare becoming one of the first Champagne Houses to achieve B-Corp Certification in 2022, alongside Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck.

The vineyards used to create Rare are selected based on their unique characteristics, and, as a result, there can be up to 11 different crus in the blend. The majority of these are often in the Montagne de Reims. Though best known for its Pinot Noir, Rare source some of their Chardonnay from this subregion, as its limestone soils, dotted with sandy loam, clay and marl, bring a chalky, mineral salinity to the final blend.

Rare Champagne blends of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir from 11 crus primarily in the Montagne de Reims. It is aged for a minimum of nine years on lees, pre-disgorgement and only released when deemed ready. As a result, for the first time in Rare’s history, its two current vintages were released out of sequence with 2013 being followed by 2012. These are both distinctive wines that embody the nuances of their vintage while retaining Rare’s signature tropical, mineral finish. 2008 has also been re-released in Magnum to great acclaim, being named Supreme World Champion at the 2023 Champagne & Sparking Wine World Championships and the 2024 IWC Champion Sparkling Wine.

2014 marks only the fourth declared vintage of Rare Champagne’s Rosé. It blends 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir (18% of which is red still wine) sourced from nine crus, of which two are classified 1er Cru (Villers-Marmery and Vertus), and five are classified Grand Cru (Avize, Oger, Aÿ, Ambonnay and Verzy). After secondary fermentation, the 2014 Rosé Millésime was aged for eight years on its lees, pre-disgorgement and released with a dosage of nine grams per litre. A deep coppery colour, its delicate mousse is complemented by fragrant notes of rose, pomegranate and morello cherry, excellent structure and great length. It is a remarkable rosé champagne that continues Rare Champagne’s award-winning reputation.