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Uutiset
Rare Champagne releases Rare Rosé Millésime 2012 & Magnum Millésime 2006
Nicolas Marzolf, brand manager for Rare Champagne in the UK, notes that this was the first release of a Rare luxury cuvée without its now-retired cellar master, the charismatic Régis Camus. The baton for this spin-off brand is now taken over by Émilien Boutillat who is also the dynamic cellar master of Piper-Heidsieck.
Only the third release
Marzolf noted that the 2012 vintage of Rare Rosé Millésime was only the third rosé released to date, after the vintages 2007 and 2008. He noted that usually all white cuvées of Rare were made from 70% of Chardonnay and 30% of Pinot Noir, while the rosé cuvées struck a different balance of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir – this was also the case for Rare Rosé Millésime 2012.
Virtuoso
The wine spent eight years on lees and was disgorged in summer 2021 with a dosage of 7g/l. Marzolf noted that all Rare cuvées were disgorged on demand, so there was no set dosage and later disgorgements may well differ. He also noted that the wine received its lovely coppery pink hue from an addition of 8% of Pinot Noir from Les Riceys vinified as a red wine. “Salinity, white flowers and spicy notes are the Rare signature,” Marzolf said. Each vintage is given an attribute by the house, for the 2012 Rosé vintage the term chosen was “virtuoso”.
Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
The noble origin of Rare Champagne dates back to a tribute to Marie-Antoinette and expresses its revolutionary spirit fight against the trivialisation of vintages.
Over the last forty years, Rare Champagne has only declared eleven vintages, the most demanding in Champagne, all in limited production.
“Since 1976, the House has only released 9 vintages of Rare: 1976, 1979,1985, 1988, 1990, 1998 en Magnum, 1999, 2002, 2004 and now 2008,” says Régis Camus, chef de caves and chief winemaker at Maison Piper-Heidsieck. “Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002 was my first Rare vintage so I am particularly honoured to hear that it has been selected as the number one champagne in the world by FINE Champagne Magazine.”
Each Rare Millésime is born from the struggle with nature. For instance, Rare Millésime 1976 was created after an exceptional drought, Rare Millésime 1985 following a terrible black frost.
As the guardian of the Rare Champagne style, Régis Camus the most awarded Cellar Master of the century*, selects the vineyards according to their expression rather than their rank in the scale of Premiers and Grand Crus. This uncommon blending approach contributes to the complex, distinguished, and yet pure style of Rare Champagne.
In honour of the occasion, Pierre-Karl Fabergé, jeweller to the Czar Alexander III, designed a spectacular enamelled bottle. Unfortunately, it was impossible to reproduce this decor with the techniques of the time. A label with a faithful reproduction of the design was therefore placed on the bottles of this exclusive edition.
In the 18th century, Florens-Louis Heidsieck presented his very first prestige Cuvée, ‘worthy of a Queen’, to Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France, in a characteristically aristocratic bottle: the Pinte Majeure.
In those days, glass blowers made by hand the most precious bottles of Champagne, intended for the aristocracy. Thus, the asymmetrical shoulders of the bottle emphasize its singular personality.
Rare Champagne modernized the original shape and added a golden lacy crown that asserts the radiance of the wine.
Black and gold, it truly contains a charismatic gem. Black symbolizes the dominant Pinot Noir grapes while gold represents the luminous shine of Chardonnay.
Thanks to its long elegant neck, a unique whisper rises while serving.
Today, the soft curves of the design pay tribute to Marie-Antoinette, the first modern icon, famous for her ability to set new standards.
Vuosikerta 2012
The next most exceptional vintage since 2008. A truly difficult growing season saw severe frosts in the winter. March brought warmth but early budbreak made the vines vulnerable to spring frosts. Overall, the early growing season was wet, and mildew became a serious issue. However, conditions improved dramatically in the later summer months. An August heatwave resulted in a rapid accumulation of sugar, but fortunately the nights remained cool, which helped to preserve acidity. Although yields were low (averaging at 9,210 kg/ha) due to frost, hail and disease early in the season, the 2012 harvest was exemplary in its maturity, acidity and grape health. A rare high acid, high sugar September harvest with impeccable concentration of flavour and refreshing vibrancy. Pinot Noir is the superstar of the vintage, though Pinot Meunier excelled too. A vintage that promises great longevity for the finest cuvées, it was widely declared by producers. However, Krug decided to invest in its reserve wines on this great year, and no Vintage was produced. The quality of 2012 is universally high, with the greatest releases so far including Louis Roederer Cristal and Cristal Rosé, Bollinger La Grande Année and La Grande Année Rosé, as well as Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Rosé.
