Rare Millesime Champagne is indeed, rare. Despite its 45-year history, the 2008 is only the 11^th time it has been produced. It is a champagne that is only produced in optimal conditions as it requires a majority of Chardonnay from the Montagne des Reims (famous for Pinot Noir) rather than the Cote des Blancs, which gives the wine its signature characteristic – elegance, endless freshness, long-lasting minerality and a radiant purity. Made from a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir from eight different Grand Cru sites, the 2008 is absolutely brimming with minerality. Having tasted the wonderful 2008 (and 1998) yesterday, i can happily say that it certainly lives up to the hype!

Whilst it is no secret that 2008 was one of the finest vintages ever produced in the Champagne region, it is the Rare Millesime 2008 which continues to win all the awards - most recently taking the Champagne Trophy at the International Wine Challenge 2022, having also won it in 2020 and a 'First-Runner-Up' Gold Medal in 2021. Scroll down for a few of the many high scoring notes the 2008 has been awarded.
 
Regis Camus, former chef de cave at Piper Heidsieck, and winner of Sparkling Winemaker of the Year at the IWC no fewer than 9 times, has been solely responsible for producing Rare Champagne since 2018 until his departure this year. He explains: “The choice of Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims is because of the citrus aromas and minerality you will find from those specific Chardonnays. But you have to be very patient with them and that is why we always say a wine with this high percentage of Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims needs nine years minimum on the lees…..These Chardonnays are really like wild horses – you need to take them, keep them and blend them with others just to cool them down – otherwise they will have too much vivacity. Chardonnay from Côte des Blancs will give us the finesse and the refinement we need in the blend but every year the grapes and the wine will be different from the same village because of the vintage.”
 
The Pinot Noir in the blend also comes mainly from the Montagne de Reims and a number of Grand Crus in Verzy. The wines see full malolactic fermentation, are not touched by any wood, and spend a minimum of 9 years in tank on their lees, followed by a full year in bottle.
 
2008 is already well-known for its sensationally high quality and now limited supply in the market. The Rare Millesime 2008 will go down as a superb purchase for any lover of fine champagne - one of the very best 2008s at a fraction of the price of the likes of Dom Perignon, Krug or Cristal. Only produced in what Regis calls 'supernatural' vintages, there has so far only been 1976, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007, and now 2008. Regis never admits to the total quantity produced, he says that there is never enough to go around and in 2008, there was even not enough to make any large formats, so this wine is only available in 75cl bottles.

The gold label pays homage to the glory days of the royal court 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’. A century later a great tradition was founded when Russian Tsar Alexander III’s jeweller – a certain Pierre-Karl Fabergé – designed an opulent, bejewelled bottle for the house. The unique bottle shape is adorned with a distinctive gold metallic tiara, as a tribute to its exalted beginnings.