98 points “The 2008 Champagne Rare Rosé is straight-up sensational. Only the second time they’ve produced this cuvée it offers a deep full-bodied powerful yet chiselled and laser-focused style carrying loads of wild strawberry fruit as well as notes of orange blossom spice and crushed rocks. Backward austere yet simply loaded with potential it needs a solid 4-5 years of bottle age and will drink brilliantly for two decades or more.” – Jeb Dunnuck
97 points “A vibrant Champagne ballet-slipper pink in colour featuring intense flavours of nectarine ripe raspberry grilled nut espresso and graphite with a touch of dried sage all riding the finely detailed mousse. Like a ballerina this offers power in a graceful form. A beautiful skein of spice unravels on the lasting finish.” – Wine Spectator
96 points “Following elegant toast nut and brioche aromas bright red berries burst on the palate underpinned by the smoky savouriness of flint. A long lingering finish and fine generous mousse make for a superlative gastronomic experience.” – International Wine & Spirit Competition 2021
96 points “Good lively edge on the nose with understated yet powerful fruits on the palate. Lively with cherry and brioche flavours. Super smart fizz.” – International Wine Challenge 2021
Rare Champagne truly lives up to its name the rosé version having only been made in two vintages since 1976. The Chef de Cave is the Champagne legend Régis Camus a man who has been named Sparkling Winemaker of the Year eight times by the International Wine Challenge and was awarded a Life Achievement Award by the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championship in 2019.
To create this exquisite Champagne Régis Camus ignores the traditional rankings of Premier and Grand Cru instead choosing vineyards based on their character in that given vintage. The result is a complex distinguished and pure expression of the year that amazes critics and tasters all over the world. 2008 was an incredible vintage in Champagne. The experts at Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate haven’t rated a year as highly as this one since their records began in 1970 and Decanter described it as “something special” praising the “powerful fruit and scintillating acidity” and calling the wines “real keepers”. That makes the Rare Rosé Millésime 2008 a particularly intriguing proposition…
Rare Rosé Millésime 2008 comprises 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir (some as red wine for colour) and was kept on its lees for a staggering nine years before disgorgement. Crystal clear and pale copper in colour it opens with generous aromas of redcurrant sugared almonds spring flowers blossom pink grapefruit lychee and spiced hot cross buns. The palate has a velvet-like texture combined with notes of dark fruits cherry citrus sorbet smoked salt dried herbs star anise and violet creams. This second iteration is even better than the first. So we can’t wait for the third whenever that may come.
Rare Champagne is an homage to the halcyon days of the royal court at Versailles. In 1785 Florens-Louis Heidsieck presented his very first ‘prestige cuvée’ to Marie Antoinette in 1785 declaring that he wanted to make a “cuvée worthy of a queen”. A century later Russian Tsar Alexander III’s jeweller Pierre-Karl Fabergé crafted a glamorous bejewelled bottle for the great Champagne house. His creation inspired the “beautifully sculpted bottle” (Wine Spectator) that you see before you now.
SKU No.: 3426916
Style No.: 874258
Region: Champagne
Grapes: Chardonnay,Pinot Noir
Closure: Cork
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 12%
Volume: 750ml
Allergens: Sulphites