Over the past 48 years, Rare Champagne has only released 16 prestige cuvées across 14 vintages across Brut and Rosé. Rare Brut Millésime 2012 is the 13th iteration of its kind. For the first time in history, Rare Champagne is releasing a wine out of sequence, whereby Brut Millésime 2013 was released (June 2023) before Rare Brut Millésime 2012. This is a testament to the resolute dedication to quality at Rare Champagne, with each wine released only when it is truly ready.
Florens-Louis Heidsieck sought to make a ‘cuvée worthy of a Queen’ and in 1785 he presented his first prestige cuvée to Marie-Antoinette in Versailles. A century later, Pierre-Karl Fabergé (then, Tsar Alexander III’s jeweller) sketched an opulent, bejewelled bottle for the house. Today, Rare’s unique bottle shape and gold casing is a tribute to its royal beginnings.
100 points - “One of the best 2012s released…Precise on every level. Haute couture. Sophisticated. What a great Champagne can be”
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
97 points - “Stunning”
Decanter World Wine Awards, Decanter.com
96 points - “An evolved and layered Champagne…. Silky finish”
Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com
96 points - “Immensely youthful, captured with brilliantly pure fruit and lasting expression”
Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous.com
96 points - “A graceful Champagne”
Alison Napjus, WineSpectator.com
96 points - “What strikes most is the gliding, satin-smooth mousse and effortless length”
Tom Hewson, Decanter.com
95+ points - “One of the greatest hits from Rare Champagne”
Kristaps Karklins, RobertParker.com
95 points - “A stylish, impressive Champagne”
Roger Voss, WineEnthusiast.com
Rare Brut Millésime 2012 is made of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, sourced across seven Grands Crus and three Premiers Crus villages. The Chardonnay was selected from vineyards including Vertus, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Chouilly and Avize. While the Pinot Noir was sourced from vineyards including Verzy , Verzenay, Ambonnay, Bouzy and Tauxières. After the alcoholic fermentation, the wine also underwent full malolactic fermentation. The Brut Millésime 2012 was aged on lees for ten years before disgorgement in November 2023, followed by another year under cork before release. Dosage 8g/L.
In 2022, Rare Champagne was one of the first Champagne houses, alongside Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck, to achieve B-Corp Certification, highlighting an ongoing commitment to improving both their social and environmental impact on the planet.
Rare Millesime Brut 2012, 3x750ml
£375.00 In Bond
(Click to Order)
“One of the best 2012s released. This so fresh and transparent, with superb clarity and brightness. Subtle aromas of mangoes, apples, some pie crust and crushed stones that follow through to a medium body with a tight palate and an endless finish. Precise on every level. Haute couture. Sophisticated. What a great Champagne can be. Released in magnum June 2026. Disgorged February 2025”
100 points – James Suckling, July 2026, JamesSuckling.com
“Overflowing with decadence and ethereal aromatics: voluptuous sweet nuts, popcorn, coffee cream and toasted hay aromas are counterbalanced by the chiselled lemon effervescence and green apple acidity. Tantalisingly rich yet magnificently fresh and driven .Stunning”
97 points – Decanter World Wine Awards, June 2026, Decanter.com
“An evolved and layered Champagne with aromas of ripe pineapple, stone fruit, caramelized nuts, white chocolate, apples and refreshing touches of white flowers and candied citrus. Full-bodied with a creamy mousse, a zesty and tight-knit structure, and toasted flavors well balanced by tension. Silky finish. Disgorged October 2024”
96 points - Aldo Fiordelli, October 2025, JamesSuckling.com
“Golden yellow-hued, the 2012 Champagne Millésime has notes of pineapple, brûléed citrus, honeyed ginger, and lemon curd. Round and full, it offers a pillowy mousse with a long finish. It has more ripeness than the 2013 but has fantastic underlying tension and acidity. It’s deceiving, as it is quite approachable now but also has the bones to age over the coming decades”
96 points – Audrey Frick, December 2024, JebDunnuck.com
“The 2012 Brut Millésime blends 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, with Chardonnay mainly from Montagne de Reims and a small portion from Côte des Blancs, giving it a slightly unusual yet eternally sleek Chardonnay bent. It spent a decade on the lees. Its nose is a smoky wonder, combining ripe, almost tropical fruit with a gorgeous toasty sense of grilled almonds. An overtone of candied orange peel flashes up momentarily. The palate brings wonderfully golden plum fruit, ripe yet fresh, juicy and utterly aromatic, verging on apricot and always surrounded by a toasty, warming frisson of grilled nuts, pervaded by a streak of finest freshness. This is immensely youthful, captured with brilliantly pure fruit and lasting expression that rings long in a toasty umami echo”
96 points – Anne Krebiehl MW, December 2024, Vinous.com
“A graceful Champagne that waltzes across the palate, with a fine, plush mousse carrying a lovely range of ripe black cherry, pureed raspberry, candied ginger, Mandarin orange peel, grilled nut and pastry flavors enlivened by a vibrant spine of lemony acidity. To a certain extent, the precision and elegance belies the focus and breadth on display, so sip this slowly and enjoy as it opens in the glass and expands on the palate, echoing on the finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Drink now through”
96 points, Alison Napjus, December 2024. WineSpectator.com
“The concentration, ripeness and paradoxical brightness of Rare 2012 leaps out, in contrast to the cooler, sharper 2013 and 2008 releases. There's no excess weight here, though, as there was in 2006. The voluptuous, fragranced Chardonnay of the Montagne de Reims is not shy with its fleshy orange citrus and tropical tones. It's held in beautiful tension by zesty acidity, gentle Pinot Noir firmness and the maturing notes of charry citrus, honey on toast and even vanilla, all lifted by emerging white pepper and spice details. What strikes most is the gliding, satin-smooth mousse and effortless length, all of which promises a great deal for those willing to wait”
96 points – Tom Hewson, October 2024, Decanter.com
“One of the greatest hits from Rare Champagne, the 2012 Rare Millesime is produced from fruit harvested between September 10 and 26. Disgorged in November 2023 with a dosage of eight grams per litre, it is a rich and flamboyant wine that harnesses the season’s maturity to its advantage. It unfurls in the glass with a complex bouquet of crisp pear, freshly baked bread and white flowers, mingling with roasted pineapple, caramelised sugar and a deft touch of smoky reduction. On the palate, it is full-bodied, muscular, ample and textural, with a simultaneously generous but elegant expression of fruit underpinned by succulent yet vibrant acidity and concluding with a long, saline finish tinged with toast.Concentrated but harmonious, it is dangerously drinkable now yet promises a long window of pleasure. The blend is the classic 70% Chardonnay (predominantly from Villers-Marmery) and 30% Pinot Noir”
95+ points - Kristaps Karklins, October 2025, RobertParker.com
“With Chardonnay dominant in the blend, this is a stylish, impressive Champagne. With its white flower aroma and poise between white fruits and maturity, it is ready to drink”
95 points – Roger Voss, January 2024. WineEnthusiast.com
“Precise, crisp acid. Toasty notes with ripe green-apple fruit and a long umami yeastiness on the palate. That lingering savoury character seems to amplify on the finish”
17 points – Richard Hemming MW, August 2025, JancisRobinson.com
Available to order - usually available in 3-4 weeks
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