Personal advice
Rare 2006 perfectly embodies a warm, ripe vintage: generous, full-bodied, with extremely soft mousse and a silky, creamy palate that is nonetheless stretched and lifted by vibrant, well-integrated acidity.
The fruit radiates the warmth of a sunny summer – ripe pineapple, juicy lemon, mango and dried apricots blend with lightly candied orange peel. Vanilla, cinnamon and a touch of cocoa float in the nose. From mid-palate onwards, nutty and distinctly roasted notes (toast, coffee, hazelnut) take over.
Rare is the prestige cuvée of Piper-Heidsieck – a house otherwise positioned mainly in the mid-to-upper mainstream market. For about three decades, however, Rare has greatly benefited from the expertise of the Charles Heidsieck cellar masters, as both brands (despite several changes of ownership) have long belonged to the same group.
The composition of around 70% Chardonnay and only 30% Pinot Noir is unusually high in Chardonnay for a prestige cuvée. The grapes come from Grand Cru sites (including Avize, Oger, Verzy) as well as the Premier Cru village of Villers-Marméry, which is renowned for its particularly rich and ripe Chardonnays.
With the 1976 vintage, Rare replaced the previous prestige cuvée Florens-Louis – stylistically there is very close continuity. The 1988 and 2002 vintages in particular are still considered legendary today. Overall, Piper-Heidsieck achieves with Rare a quality level that satisfies even the most demanding Champagne connoisseurs.
A glance at the Alfavin cellar
A glance at the Alfavin cellar
A glance at the Alfavin Cellar