Description
Rare Champagne Millésime 2008 750ml is a single-vintage Champagne from the 2008 harvest, blended from 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. Rare began as the top cuvée of Piper-Heidsieck, and this release was made under chef de cave Régis Camus, who retired in March 2022.
Buy Rare Champagne Millésime 2008 Online in NZ
Chill gently and serve at 9 to 11°C in a generously shaped glass. Suggested matches include lobster, crayfish, oysters and herb-crusted whole fish, and tempura seafood or vegetables also work.
- 2008 vintage Champagne
- 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir
- Dosage of 8.5 g/l
Reviewers describe a golden colour with orange blossom, hyacinth and white flowers on the nose as the wine warms. On the palate come freshly cut pineapple, passion fruit, yellow kiwi, coconut and almond, along with vibrant citrus and a line of minerality, with exotic spice in the background.
Rare is a name that makes sense only in selected years, as each release is reserved for particular harvests that the cellar team considers extraordinary. That makes the 2008 one of a small run of vintages, rather than part of a regular yearly release, and a wine with a long time in the house cellars behind it before its release.
The wine’s structure comes from the blend. Chardonnay leads at 70%, giving the citrus and floral lift that tasters pick out, while the 30% Pinot Noir adds body and depth. The 8.5 g/l dosage is a moderate level for a Brut, so sweetness never takes over, and the 2008 harvest’s freshness remains the main feature of the wine.
Long ageing on lees gives Champagne more texture and a wider aromatic range, and that shows here in the almond, spice and coconut notes alongside the fruit. Writers including Essi Avellan MW have remarked on how refined this release is. Because the wine is already mature in character, it can be opened now, though there is no need to rush it if it is kept in a cool, dark cellar.
A bottle for a collector, or for a special dinner where a mature, Chardonnay-led Champagne has time to be noticed.
