Rare Champagne was created in Reims in 1976 and was long regarded as the prestige cuvée of Piper-Heidsieck, which was founded in 1785 by Florens-Louis Heidsieck. In 1985 Piper-Heidsieck released the first Rare, made from the 1976 vintage. In September 2018 Rare became a brand in its own right and has since been run and labelled independently. It belongs to the EPI holding of the Descours family. The house is led by Maud Rabin as director and Émilien Boutillat as chef de cave.
The principle is scarcity: Rare is made only in outstanding vintages. Since the first vintage in 1976, fourteen vintages have been released, plus a pure rosé in 2014. The wine is always Chardonnay-dominant. Alongside classic sources, Trépail and Villers-Marmery in the Montagne de Reims shape the blend. The Millésime 2013 is 70 per cent Chardonnay and otherwise Pinot Noir, mostly from grand cru and premier cru sites in the Montagne de Reims. It is aged in stainless steel, the dosage of the 2013 is around 9 g/L, and the time on the lees runs from eight to more than ten years.
The bottle wears a golden lace crown. The cuvée was presented at the Château de Versailles in 1985. The Rare Rosé has existed since the 2007 vintage. Only around 4,000 bottles of it had been made up to that point. Anyone who opens a Rare is therefore drinking a wine that the house bottles only in its best years.
