Piper-Heidsieck "Rare" Brut Millésime, Champagne, France, 2008

Overview of the Wine
Piper-Heidsieck started out as a cloth and wine trading company Heidsieck & Co which was founded by Florens-Louis Heidsieck in 1785. His distinctive champagne’s reputation quickly spread and won favor at court.

The Piper-Heidsieck Maison owns precious wine-growing land from the Montagne de Reims to the Cote des Bar. The blend of its signature cuvee is 55 to 60% Pinot Noir for structure, 10 to 15% Chardonnay grapes which add elegant nuances, 15 to 20% Pinot Meunier which enhances fruitiness, and 10 to 15% reserve wines which provide consistency from year to year.

Vinification is done separately by variety and by vineyard in order to preserve their unique characters and offer maximum blending flexibility.

Grape / Blend
70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir

Origin
Champagne, France

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Heidsieck Cuvee Rare is a blend of 17 crus which were aged for over seven years in the House’s cellars. The blend is 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, both from Montagne de Reims. The appearance is a dazzling, crystal-clear, citrine yellow gold enlivened by a delicate, shimmering effervescence. The fruit emerges as delicate and golden, with muted exotic fruits (mango and kiwi) and notes of hazelnut, almond and fig. Mild spices (white pepper, smoked tea and cocoa) reflect the wine’s depth but are honed, precise, and in harmony. The palate is voluptuous, with meringue-like delicacy, while nuances of mint tea, lime, kumquat, pineapple and candied ginger evoke distant lands.

97 Points - Wine Spectator
Like a stallion out of the gate, this shows an initial explosion of power, in the form of mouthwatering flavors and fine texture, before quickly settling into an elegant gait. The racy acidity is seamlessly knit, buoying the lacy mousse and flavors of cassis, toasted brioche and tangerine, with accents of candied ginger, hazelnut and fleur de sel lingering on the long, creamy finish. Drink now through 2035. 2,000 cases imported.

96 Points - Wine Enthusiast
The new release of this producer's prestige cuvée comes in its usual beautifully sculpted bottle. The Champagne, from a great vintage in the region, is just approaching maturity still showing minerality from the high amount of Chardonnay in the blend. Nutty flavors are creeping in, keeping the great texture adding complexity. Drink this very fine wine now although it will also age further.

95 Points - Decanter
A lively first nose of candied lemon, guava, also a hint of lime. With aeration, notes of almonds and almond flowers come to the fore. On the palate, there is a nervy tension that energises its fine, crystalline texture. This is an upright and elegant Champagne whose long, airy finish is mouthwatering. After some time in the glass, it evolves towards notes of smoke, flint and vanilla. A sumptuous Champagne.

93+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The newly released 2008 Brut Cuvée Rare is very promising, unwinding in the glass with a youthfully reserved nose of citrus oil, crisp green apple, freshly baked bread, iodine and oyster shell, as well as some rather herbaceous characteristics that depress my score a little, even if I suspect that they will resolve with a bit more bottle age. Medium to full-bodied, incisive and tightly wound, if the 2006 vintage was gourmand and demonstrative, the 2008 is slower to show all its cards. Built around racy acids and complemented by a pillowy mousse, this rendition of Cuvée Rare will reward a few years more on cork.

Product size: 750ml