2008 Champagne Rare, Millésime, Brut

70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir. 100% grand cru with the Chardonnay from Avize, Oger and Villers-Marmery and the Pinot Noir from Verzy. Aged on lees for ten years. Disgorged in November 2019 with a dosage of 8.5 g/l.

Smoky, Chardonnay-dominant nose. Lots of age on this, yet with an undertow of citrus freshness. Spreads right across the palate with both depth and finesse. Shows off the density and solidity of the vintage. Good for drinking now.

Drink 2020 - 2030

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.

Drink 2022 - 2045

Rare Champagne boasts an illustrious past, with its first vintage presented to Marie Antoinette in 1785. The wine is produced in very limited quantities and is restricted to exceptional years, with only 11 vintages being declared over the past four decades of production. 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir from selected Grand Cru vineyards. 

Simon Field MW: Gentle bead, lovely evolved notes of hazelnut, even a hint of praline, enrobed and ennobled by firm acidity and a persuasive finish. 

Alan Bednarski: Great, pure wine with still-fresh zesty flavours, delicate palate and sweet yeast notes, with a long flavourful finish of ripe melon.

Tim Hall: A challenging, pressing start, wanting to overwhelm with a shimmering and sharp attack, but shows intensity on the palate to match. Lovely lemon-apple notes and tempered texture.

Drink 2021 - 2028

This has fantastic concentration, with notes of seashells, waxed and preserved lemons, blanched almonds, toasted coconuts and a smoky touch like tobacco and white ash. Waxy and textured, with very fine, almost imperceptible bubbles. Long, mineral and serious finish. Still tight. 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir, mainly from Montagne de Reims. Disgorged end of 2022. 8g/L dosage. Tasted from Magnum, which will be launched later this year. 

Drink or hold

Like a stallion out of the gate, this shows an initial explosion of power through mouthwatering flavours and fine texture before quickly settling into an elegant gait. The racy acidity is seamlessly knit, buoying the lacy mousse and flavours 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