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Tasting note
One of the greatest hits from Rare Champagne, the 2012 Rare Millésime is produced from fruit harvested between September 10 and 26. Disgorged in November 2023 with a dosage of eight grams per liter, it is a rich and flamboyant wine that harnesses the season’s maturity to its advantage. It unfurls in the glass with a complex bouquet of crisp pear, freshly baked bread and white flowers, mingling with roasted pineapple, caramelized sugar and a deft touch of smoky reduction. On the palate, it is full-bodied, muscular, ample and textural, with a simultaneously generous but elegant expression of fruit underpinned by succulent yet vibrant acidity and concluding with a long, saline finish tinged with toast. Concentrated but harmonious, it is dangerously drinkable now yet promises a long window of pleasure. The blend is the classic 70% Chardonnay (predominantly from Villers-Marmery) and 30% Pinot Noir.
Score: 95+
Kristaps Karklins, The Wine Advocate, October 2025