2013 Piper-Heidsieck Rare Brut Millesime Champagne 750 ml

Rare started out as Piper-Heidseick’s top wine—a celebration of the bottling originally presented to Marie-Antoinette—but recently it’s undergone a transformation to its own mini-maison within the Piper architecture.

Modeled on the relationship that Salon enjoys with Delamotte, this newfound autonomy has resulted in an upward jolt to the quality of what was already one of Champagne’s most elegant, complex wines. And the timing couldn’t have been better—the best wines of 2013 will go down as all-time greats.

The growing season was a roller-coaster ride: A dramatic late flowering in the cool, damp spring proved decisive. While some vineyards escaped unscathed, others were ravaged by coulure (incomplete fruit-set) and millerandage (uneven berry size). In a cruel twist of fate, those with full crops struggled desperately to ripen their fruit through the endless cool season, while vineyards with naturally reduced yields found salvation. 

The harvest dragged into an unprecedented late September and October. Those with low yields and carefully managed vineyards enjoyed impressively long hang-times, harvesting grapes bursting with character yet refined and filigreed on the palate. Estates that could be selective made some of their best wines of the decade—and this Rare edition is truly exceptional.

Made from 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir from 11 different crus across the Montagne de Reims, it was treated to eight full years on the lees before disgorgement—and then additional time in bottle to resolve before release. The result is a bottling with a kaleidoscopic bouquet that leans on toasted brioche, almonds, and apple blossoms and works in a panoply of apple, quince, spice, and mineral tones—all of which reappear on the exceptionally fine palate. It’s a bottle worthy of your best occasions.