Department > Champagne Style > Vintage > Rare Millésime 2012 75cl
Rare Millésime 2012 75cl
Rare Millésime 2012 75cl
Rare Millésime 2012 75cl

Rare Millésime 2012 75cl

Rare Millésime 2012 75cl

£230.00
£210.00 ON SALE

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    Overview

    Rare Millésime 2012


    Tasting Notes:
    On the nose, the rich aromas suggest delicious overtones of brioche, almond, mango, guava and bergamot. After a hint of heady florals (lilac), the nose develops spiced notes (honey, black tea, white pepper, incense and smoke). 

    The delicious mouthfeel is tangy and juicy. Citrus fruits emerge through an extremely silky texture. The exceptional length of the saline, mineral finish seems infinite. 

    Grape Varieties: 
    70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir

    Vintage Information:
    The 2012 vintage got off to a mixed start, the year ahead looked to be challenging with winter and springtime frosts, rainfall and hailstorms. Temperatures rose suddenly in mid-July, bringing hot, dry weather - perfect conditions for ripening. Although the yield of the harvests was low, the quality was exceptional. 

    Vinification:
    The first fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks. Once completed, the wine was racked and underwent full malolactic fermentation. Rare Millésime 2012 marries a blend of eleven crus only , with 70% Chardonnay selected mainly from the Montagne de Reims area (Villers Marmery, Vertus, Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Chouilly, Avize), and 30% Pinot Noir also mainly from the Montagne de Reims (Verzy, Ay, Verzenay, Ambonnay, Villedommange). The wine was aged on lees for a minimum of 10 years, and disgorged in October 2023. Dosage 8g/l.

    Vineyards:
    As the guardian of the Rare Champagne style, Régis Camus selects the vineyards according to their expression rather than their rank in the scale of Premiers and Grand Crus. This blending approach contributes to the complex, distinguished, and yet pure style of Rare Champagne. He thinks outside the box, choosing Chardonnay grapes from the Montagne de Reims, more traditionally recognised for Pinot Noir, giving the wine freshness and precise minerality. He prefers the Pinot Noir grapes from the Montagne de Reims as well (for instance Verzy or Aÿ) for their sheer intensity and powerful silky texture.

    Background Information:
    Over the last forty years, Rare Champagne has declared only 14 Vintages (1976, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014). All in limited series, Rare Champagne lives up to its name. Until March 2022, Champagne legend Régis Camus was the Chef de Cave, whose meticulous winemaking has made him Sparkling Winemaker of the Year at the IWC eight times and in 2019 the CSWWC rewarded him of a Life Achievement award. 

    Emilien Boutillat, IWC Sparkling Wine Maker of the Year 2021 and 2023, is now charged with safeguarding Rare Champagne's house style, while simultaneously leading the house into the future. The wine is born out of struggle with nature - in 1976 it was after a period of exceptional drought, in 1985 following a terrible black frost. Rare Champagne pays homage to the glory days of Versailles when founder Florens-Louis Heidsieck presented his first ever 'prestige cuvée' to Marie Antoinette in 1785, declaring that he wanted to make a 'cuvée worthy of a queen'.

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