Rare Rosé Millésime 2014 Magnum

2014 marks only the fourth declared vintage of Rare Champagne's Rosé. 

Tasting Notes:

The wine opens with strong aromas of red and dark fruits including strawberry, black cherry and blackberry. 

There are also notes of candied orange and star anise which linger through to the palate where they are complemented by characteristics of brioche.

This is a wine with great depth and a wonderfully long finish. 

Grape Varieties:

60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir

Residual Sugar: 8.2g/L

Acidity: 7.2g/L

Vintage Information:

After an especially mild and humid autumn and winter, June became hot and sunny. These temperatures dropped dramatically as July and August brought heavy rain. September provided some much needed sunny and dry conditions, the perfect conditions to allow the grapes to ripen fully, heralding a bountiful harvest.

Vinification:

Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks and once completed, the wine was racked and underwent full malolactic fermentation. Rare Rosé 2014 marries 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir grapes (including 18% of red wine from Les Riceys) in a blend of 9 crus. The wine was kept on its lees for eight years before disgorgement, when a dosage of around 9g/l was added. 

Vineyards:

The grapes for the 2014 vintage come from 9 different crus, of which 5 are classified as Grand Crus and 2 as Premier Cru. The crus included are Villers-Marmery, Vertus, Montgueux, Avize, Oger, Ay, Ambonnay, Verzy and Les Riceys.

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'.