Rare 2008 won the Top 100 tasting by Fine Champagne Magazine and Tasting Book and was awarded Champagne of the Year. The description here in October still mentioned the wonderful aromas it displayed in its early years under the influence of the yeast lees. This initial drinking window has now closed. Long ventilation does not help either. Whether three, five, or ten years of ageing is appropriate? The optimal maturation time in the cellar depends on how ripe one likes their Champagne, how good the storage conditions are, and, with today’s forecasts, it is anyway unreliable and difficult to estimate accurately.
Rare is made from 70 percent Chardonnay, which not only comes from the Grand Crus Le Mesnil, Chouilly, and Avize, but mainly from the particularly strong Chardonnay plots in Trepail, Villers Marmery, and Vaudemange in the Grande Montagne de Reims. After a prolonged period of weakness, Piper Heidsieck is now part of the Charles Heidsieck group, whose efforts are now bearing fruit. After a long investment in the development of Rare as a luxury brand, it is now noticeable that Rare is produced in a classic, mineral, structured style. The influence of the yeast lees on the young wine is less than before, and the first drinking window after disgorging is much shorter. This stands in clear contrast to the Blanc des Millénaires, which already shows youthful, fruity charm.
A glance at the Alfavin cellar
A glance at the Alfavin cellar
A glance at the Alfavin Cellar