2013 Rare, Champagne

Originally a part of the legendary Piper-Heidsieck Champagne house, Rare is moving their Champagne Millésime to a new brand and want it to stand alone. (Think Delamotte and Salon.) The 13th vintage for this cuvée, the 2013 Champagne Millésime is a blend is 70% Chardonnay with the rest Pinot Noir, with the majority of the blend coming from the Montagne de Reims Grand Cru and Premier Cru. A bright yellow hue, its aromatics are exquisite and well-balanced, with fresh notes of key lime, candied apple, fresh croissant dough, fresh pineapple, and honeysuckle. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with a rounded and supple texture and a pillowy mousse. It’s long on the palate and has a silky personality as well as a long, pristine finish. It has fantastic balance of decadence and freshness, and I could drink this all day. It’s going to have a long drinking window. Drink 2024-2044 and beyond. Disgorged December 2022.

Such a pleasingly elegant and multifaceted Champagne with salty, creamy and toasty elements all wound together. Plenty of apricot pastries, pears, brown butter, fennel and salted almonds, with some iodine. It’s silky on the palate, with soft and supple bubbles, while remaining fresh and on edge. 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir, from 11 cru villages mostly in Montagne de Reims with Cotes de Blancs. Disgorged December 2022. 9 g/L dosage. Drink or hold.

Initially cool and breezy on the nose, like sea spray and freshly sliced lemons. As it warms, it shows fresh pineapple, coconut, Sorrento lemons and a tiny touch of toast on the finish. This really is very youthful, taut and tingling, with very fine acidity. Lots of intrigue to come as it ages. 2013 was sunny in the early part of the season, but was also very cool. Harvest did not take place until October, the only time in the last 30 years that harvest has taken place in October. The grapes matured very slowly.

Gold-encrusted bottle 1,653 g. Certified B Corp is cited on the back label but little other information so I am indebted to London champagne specialist retailer The Finest Bubble for these details: 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir from 14 crus – 79% grand cru and 21% premier cru. Chardonnay was from Avize, Oger, Villers-Marmery, Vaudemanges, Verzy, Ambonnay, Chouilly and Montgueux while the Pinot Noir was from Verzy, Verzenay, Ambonnay, Bouzy and Tauxières. Aged for 8 years on lees and disgorged spring 2022 with a dosage of 9 g/l. Still with very marked acidity. Very obviously Chardonnay-dominated with lemon-cream notes. Tight finish. I'm tasting it straight out of the fridge and I'll definitely keep it out of the fridge until our guests arrive. Mind you, in London tonight even indoors is pretty chilly. Still very dominated by 2013's tightly wound character. (JR)