The Champagne Beloved By The World's Most Famous Jewellers (And Marie Antoinette) That's Built On Defying Nature: Taste Testing A Vertical Of Three Rare Champagne Millesime 2002, 2008 & 2013

We contest that few Champagne houses carry an ethos with as much aura as Rare Champagne. Don't believe us? Try this, "Against the whims of nature." And even then, that's possibly the least interesting thing about one of the world's most elusive prestige cuvees. After all, Rare Champagne, originating from the Heidsieck Champagne dynasty, also holds the distinction of being Marie Antoinette's favourite Champagne - yes, the Marie Antoinette, who in fact was whom the cuvee was created by Heidsieck for - with then its subsequent reprisals finessed by the world's foremost legendary jewellers the likes of Faberge (of Russian Tsar commissioned ornamental egg fame) and the house of Van Cleef & Arpels.

So what makes Rare Champagne actually rare? Let's get into it!

Marie Antoinette certainly had a thing for pineapples.

It all starts with one Florens-Louis Heidsieck, who really is essentially the starting point for all things Heidsieck. The son of a Lutheran minister in Westphalia (modern day northwestern Germany, with famous cities such as Dortmund), Heidsieck had ventured to Reims in 1777 as a draper making curtains. Yet, fate would have other plans for the intrepid Heidsieck. There he would fall in love with a lady from Champagne, Agathe Perthois, and thus Heidsieck would sought to produce wines that would so impress his soon to be wife. He was ambitious and self-taught, and would thus find success in both textiles and his adopted sparkling wines, incorporating the Heidsieck & Cie house in 1785 - the same year he would also marry Perthois.

With then the self declared goal of producing a Champagne worthy of a Queen, Heidsieck would conclude that there was no better way to prove the outstanding quality of his Champagnes than to have the Queen of France Marie Antoinette herself declare it as her favourite. And so getting right to work, Heidsieck would find out that the Queen loved the flavours of pineapples amongst other then exotic tropical fruits that had only just recently arrived in France and were thus reserved for the enjoyment of the nobility. With this insight, Heidsieck would fatefully present the specially made prestige cuvee to Queen Marie Antoinette on the 6th of May 1785 at the Temple of Love at Versailles. As Heidsieck predicted, Marie Antoinette absolutely loved it, immediately making a large order of 3,000 bottles. The gamble paid off and news of the Queen's favor quickly spread across the world, bestowing upon the Heidsieck house warrants over at least 14 royal courts that included the Royal Court of France, the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg empire, the Russian Imperial Court, and going as far as the Qing Dynasty of China. This marked the beginning of the formidable Heidsieck Champagne empire.

The Temple of Love, or Temple de l'Amour, where it is said that Marie Antoinette was presented the first prestige cuvee from Heidsieck.

Heidsieck would eventually bring his nephews into the fold, and upon his passing in 1828, the Heidsieck house once singular would eventually become three-fold. His nephews Christian Heidsieck, Frederic-Auguste Delius, Henri-Louis Walbaum and Charles-Henri Heidsieck would go their separate ways, with Christian Heidsieck joining forces with one Henri-Guillaume Piper to form what would become Piper Heidsieck, whilst Henri-Louis Walbaum and Frederic Auguste Delius carrying on the Heidsieck name under what would eventually become Heidsieck & Co Monopole, and finally Charles-Henri Heidsieck's son, Charles Camille Heidsieck, would eventually himself establish the Charles Heidsieck house. Each house would carve its own success, paving the road for Champagnes to be enjoyed the world over; Piper Heidsieck's story would feature a daring WWII aviator who flew around the world promoting the Champagnes and even courting the favour of iconic actress Marilyn Monroe (it's also the Champagne of choice at the Oscars!), whereas Heidsieck & Co Monopole would find ingenious ways to sneak its Champagnes over to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia all throughout the war, with then Charles Heidsieck famously nicknamed "Champagne Charlie", braving the battlefront in order to bring Champagnes to Napoleon's army, and later on sharing the love for the French bubbles across the United States of America, even at the expense of being erroneously caught and imprisoned in Louisiana which required legendary US President Abraham Lincoln's bailing out! Today, Heidsieck & Co Monopole belongs under the Vranken-Pommery-Monopole group, whilst Piper Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck would finally find its way back together in 2011 as part of the EPI group.

The highly sought after Faberge eggs.

And so in 1885, as the Piper Heidsieck house marked its 100th anniversary from when its roots were laid down by Florens-Louis Heidsieck in 1785, a special centenary tribute was in order - adorned in white gold, diamonds and lapis lazuli, the commemorative Cuvee du Centenaire was thus designed by the legendary Peter Carl Faberge (Pierre Karl Faberge), jeweler to the Russian Imperial Court serving Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II, and maker of the near mythical Faberge egg. Now fast forward another century and in 1985, on the 200th anniversary of Piper Heidsieck, the house would finally inaugurate what we know today as Rare Champagne, a vintage-only prestige cuvee. This time, famed French jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels would be responsible for the design. Housing the debut 1976 Millesime, which saw an unprecedented heat wave that year unlike anything the Champagne region had ever experienced before which the Piper Heidsieck team led by the highly regarded Claude Demière saw as a challenge to rise up to, the tete du cuvee would draw inspiration from Faberge's metalwork, producing then Rare Champagne's distinctively regal tiara-skirt that wraps around each of its Champagne bottle's base. Unfortunately, the specially designed bottle of Champagne was stolen whilst on tour in the United States and has never been recovered. Nevertheless the aesthetic would be further refined into the 1980's with Parisian studio Arthus-Bertrand finalising the shining leafy gold crown. Once bearing the Piper Heidsieck name, Rare Champagne would finally come into its own in 2018, taking a big step forward as its own independent brand into the future. That is, of course, not to mention the highly sought after, one-off Rare Le Secret, which Camus had crafted in secret after a particularly trying season that seemed impossible to coax wines out of, and had thus been quietly set aside in his private cellar as small quantities of magnums that had been left to age for almost two decades with no dosage.

Arguably the Champagne most beloved by jewelers.

Armed with its philosophy of going "against the whims of nature", Rare Champagne has sought to capture in every cuvee particular atypical vintages that are uniquely characterful or notoriously challenging, often seizing seasons marked by extremes, as opposed to simply producing in conventionally great vintages or even attempting to produce a cuvee for every vintage - it is this ethos that underscores its name, Rare. Since its launch in 1985, only 14 vintages (Millesime) of Rare Champagne has been declared as of 2026 - 1976, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007 (Rose), 2008 (Rose), 2012 (Rose), 2013 and 2014 (Rose). And to that end, only three cellarmasters have made Rare Champagnes since, including Daniel Thibault, the long-serving Regis Camus and the current Chef de Caves Emilien Boutillat who took over the helm in 2018. With Camus the only to oversee all 14 millesimes of Rare Champagne released thus far, it is not a stretch to intricately tie the prestige cuvee's essence to Camus' hand. Named Sparkling Winemaker of the Year a staggering 8 times by the International Wine Challenge (IWC), Camus who also served as winemaker for Piper Heidsieck (ultimately handing over Piper Heidsieck to focus on Rare) is the most awarded sparkling winemaker in IWC history, had sought to take on a deliberately selective approach to producing Rare Champagne. Rather than selecting from an order of Grand Cru and Premier Cru sites, Camus had instead chosen parcels based on the expression offered - he would utilise Pinot Noir from Verzy or Aÿ that yielded intensity and texture, with then Chardonnay sourced from Montagne de Reims, better known for its Pinot and yet yields white grapes that are precise and mineral. Thus with 11 to 17 crus, predominantly tapping on the villages of Oger, Avize, Trepail, Chouilly and Villers-Marmery for Chardonnay, and that of Verzy, Ambonnay, Ludes and Rilly La Montagne for Pinot Noir (the Rare Rose Champagne has an additional component of 8-18% red still wine from Les Riceys or Bouzy added, making the composition closer therefore to 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir) Camus employs a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir in order for his Champagnes to "still be young in 20 years". 

Regis Camus (left) with Emilien Boutillat (right).

From there, the hand-harvested fruit is gently pressed, whereupon it undergoes fermentation only in stainless steel tanks, with also malolactic fermentation allowed to occur (since the 1990 vintage), the entirety of which notably sees no oak whatsoever. Each parcel is vinified separately and subsequently blended to form the final cuvee. Once bottled, the wine is allowed to undergo extensive lees ageing of at least 8-10 years (going as far 20 years as was the case for the 1998 vintage), before it is finally ready in the Brut style. Having greatly shaped Rare Champagne for almost three decades, Camus would as a parting gift, help Rare Champagne to be one of the first Champagne houses to achieve B-Corp Certification in 2022, over and beyond seeing its distinction as a standalone brand from Piper Heidsieck. Taking over the helm in 2018, the Champagne-native Boutillat has himself since won the same IWC Sparkling Winemaker of the Year distinction twice as he also serves the current cellarmaster for Piper Heidsieck.

With all that said, it's time to get down to tasting for ourselves three vintages of Rare Champagne - Millesime 2002, 2008 and 2013. Let's go!

PS. Shout out to Singapore's magnificent Convivial Champagne Bar which is not only the best place in all of Asia to go to for Champagnes, but is also helmed by the impossibly affable Xi Yang and his team, also serving up some really delicious Champagne-friendly fare. Also big cheers to Astrid Defurne who was really warm and incredibly easy going, bringing to Singapore a whole selection of Rare Champagnes!

Champagne Review: Rare Champagne Millesime 2013

70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir.

The 2013 vintage is marked by a particularly challenging winter that was long and freezing, with temperatures going as low as -12°C, which was also then met with persistent humidity. On the flipside, just two months of summer saw over 800 hours of full sunshine (compared to the average of 416 hours), offering then a counter in the form of an incredibly intense summer, resulting in substantial water stress. Storm pressures were added on, with then light rainfall in September allowing for some reprieve. Finally, into October the vines had one last large hurdle to overcome in the form of a surprisingly cool autumn that had quickly set in, bringing with it strong winds that ultimately delayed harvest. 

11 crus were used in the cuvee, of which 7 were classified Grand Crus and 3 were classified Premier Crus, including Villers-Marmery, Vaudemanges, Verzy, Ambonnay, Avize, Chouilly, Oger, Montgueux for the Chardonnay, and Verzy, Verzenay, Ambonnay, Bouzy and Tauxieres for the Pinot Noir. Malolactic fermentation was allowed to complete with then 8 years of ageing on the lees and 1 additional year of ageing on cork. Dosage was 9g/liter.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: Opens with a fragrant toastiness, with then a light coffee roast, toasted almonds, and dried honey. Slightly briny, there's a coastal breeze of seashells that's met with meadowy dried white florals garnishing the supple core of spiced apple and pear pie filling. A light floury doughiness that wafts over the dried dough, marzipan and nougat, with a sense of baked confectionaries, at times combining with the salinity to give shio pan (Japanese salt bread), along with a touch of umami miso toffee. More on apple blossoms and a concentration of candied nuts towards the back that's giving some savouriness too. Aromatically it's more compact and leaner.

Taste: Rich, concentrated, super honeyed, super luscious, it's a lavish core of baked apples and apple core savouriness, with also a scoop of spiced apple pie filling. Cloves, cardamom, white florals, a touch of sea salt, the acidity is perky and polished yet broad, with also a more streaky tartness of green apples, all of which enveloped in unctuous honey. Toasted almonds with a side of umami miso toffee and a dried doughiness, it's rather savoury towards the back.

Finish: Even more candied here, with honeyed and nutty overtones, backed up by dried dough, clove spice, dried apple slices and more umaminess of marmite. Lush and gentle on the clean and spiced finish with that savouriness of bruised apples, a drop of balsamic and a lingering scent of cloves.

My Thoughts

Absolutely spectacular! This was mind-bending to say the least, with total lusciousness and luxuriousness. It's a cornucopia of apples, nuts, baked confectionaries, exotic spices and a touch of marmite all wrapped up in heaps of thick, candied honey. It's supple and rich, which points towards its relative youth and gives a sense that there is much more nuance and detail left to surface with more age. Nevertheless, it is impossible to resist its current splendour, vibrant and expressive, almost grandiose to say the least. Whilst the aromatics are more compact and leaner, with here and there hints at some maturity starting to show, it is still overall buoyant and rounded, with an affable plumpness that is given vivacity and an energetic tendency from the streaky acidity that is paired alongside. As lovable and endearing as this cuvee is at the moment, there is surely more integration to be had that will only give it more complexity and refinement.

An absolute delight that feels fit for at utmost occasion.  

Champagne Review: Rare Champagne Millesime 2008

70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir.

The 2008 season was characterised by distinct unpredictability and a broadly cold and rainy weather with a sudden drop in temperature in June. This carried on until late in the season, which was then thankfully saved by an unexpected switch up to a much more sunny and dry spell with warm days and cold nights that lasted through harvest.

10 crus were included in the cuvee, with Chardonnay coming from Avize, Oger, Villers-Marmery, Mesnil-sur-Oger, Vertus and Chouilly, and the Pinot Noir coming from Verzy, Aÿ, Verzenay and Ambonnay, all of which classified Grand Cru. The wine had undergone full malolactic fermentation, and was aged on the lees for 10 years, with finally an 8.5 g/liter dosage given.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Gold

Aroma: Honeyed with toffee and candied almonds, it opens with a hearty perfume of lees with dried dough coated in flour and a heap of nougats. There's also a distinct outline of seashells that offers a mineral freshness, that's then paired with a more savoury umami layer of miso and dabs of soy sauce. Within the immensely honeyed and floury bouquet is a generous serving of yellow raisins, dried quince and candied ginger that comes with a touch of musty rancio. 

Taste: Medium-bodied here, it shows a good, creamy richness with delicate pearly bubbles, with then a tremendous body of baked apples and apple pie filling, a sliver of well ripened mango, opulently mixed in with spiced honey and cloves. It's got that apple core savouriness that is accompanied by a bit of concentrated umami savouriness of miso toffee and soy sauce that's wrapped up in a candied, nutty nougat. Garnished with a delicate apple blossom fragrance, there's also a minerality of spring water that bolsters the body, with then more on dried dough, honeyed nuts and rich toffee. The dryness comes through giving the generous body good balance, with then the acidity gentle but bright and firm.

Finish: Lush and creamy, the honeyed richness carries through the finish with more on savoury nuttiness and dried dough, baked apples, dried apple slices and that undercurrent of spring water minerality. The umami savouriness of toffee and soy sauce is still persistent, with the finish firm, rich and luscious. The almonds, cloves, baked apples, dried dough and here with some apple balsamic lingers on for quite some time.

My Thoughts

An immense cuvee that felt like a heavy hitter in a velvet glove. It's opulent and generous, polished and perfumed, yet linear and unyielding with this almost colossal body that really packs it in. It's broadly painted over with candied honey, nougats, dried orchard fruits, and a concentrated bit of soy sauce, with then a persistent minerality that so readily holds its own. It's at once delicate yet expressive and complex, showing such elegance and lusciousness, with acidity that is poised yet firm, and bubbles that are pearly and almost caviar-like. It feels more compacted and more tightly bounded, with a good tautness that allows the Champagne to unfold in a most understated manner.

At this point, there are semblances of maturity that's starting to show, making it a rather perfect moment of duality between freshness and age.

Champagne Review: Piper Heidsieck Rare Champagne Millesime 2002

70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir.

The 2002 season unfolded brilliantly over spring with near perfect flowering and no material frost, which was then followed thereafter by a long, sunny summer that was punctuated by regular rain spells. The combination of healthy vines and dryness allowed for a more robust ripeness. 2002 is considered one of the best harvests in the past two decades.

And so now going further back into Piper Heidsieck territory, the 2002 featured 17 crus spanning Avize, Oger and Villers-Marmery for the Chardonnay, and Verzy amongst others for the Pinot Noir. The wine was aged on the lees for 15 years, with then a dosage of 9.5 g/liter.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Gold 

Aroma: Immediately ripe and toasty. Opens with ripe nectarines, apricots, golden apples accented by lemon zest, lemon curd and orange peel. It has a little touch of savoury lees and saline minerality and granite stone. Fruits are accompanied by distinctive fresh baked pastry - brioche, toasted biscuits, glazed kouign-amann, and a little almond nuttiness, the sort that's topped over croissants. Seamlessly transitioning into a surprising depth of toasted cereal and caramelised fruit: malt barley, toasted bread, fresh bread crust, grilled pineapple and honeycomb. There’s then a bright lifted sweetness of golden kiwi fruits, orange blossoms bookended by light flinty impressions.

Taste: Expressive, rounded and very composed sweetness. It opens with fresh cream in a velvety texture with freshly precisely resolved orchard fruit acidity. Golden apples, pear cider, golden kiwi and white peaches integrated with supple fine mousse. Joined by fresh apricot and yellow plums. Broadens into glazed pastry notes, brioche, bread crust, glazed cross buns, before it gradually leans into a long savoury salted butter profile. It retains much of the toastiness experienced on the nose. Some toffee and light roast Ipoh white coffee. A touch of gently spiced saffron, candied ginger and some wet stone minerality as we draw into the finish.

Finish: Long, nutty, very savoury with flakes of pastry. It continues with distinctive toasted puffed pastry, honey, caramel, accompanied by continued citrus zest freshness. The richer aromas of apricot and pastry first subside, leaving lemon zest, salted toasted nuts and a faint smokiness on the table. Light chalk and salinity.

My Thoughts

This is both superbly expressive and impressively composed at once. It’s intricately layered, with generous orchard fruit, exotic tropical fruits, citrus, plopped on top of very deep dimensions of pastry toastiness and savoury nuts. Texture is nicely supple, a precise level of mostly resolved acidity that offers energy and balance to the aromatic fruit sweetness without bite. The fruit aromatics are certainly expressive, and yet the sweetness seems to be held in check by some dryness of the lemon zest and toasted savoury tones.

This is a wonderfully developed mature Champagne that offers richness and pleasure upfront, before it seamlessly turns to subtlety and refinement.