Piper-Heidsieck's roots trace back to Florens-Louis Heidsieck, who created the original company of Heidsieck & Co. Christian Heidsieck joined the venture alongside Guillaume Piper and once Florens-Louis died in 1828, the duo decided to continue the adventure side by side, founding Champagne Piper-Heidsieck.

In 2011 both Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck were bought by EPI Group headed by Christopher Descours, he has added significant finance into the companies allowing them to grow their vineyard holdings, grape purchasing and production. The brands are now growing their sales fast after many decades of decline. Today, production occurs alongside sister company Charles Heidsieck in an ultra-modern functional wine-making facility on the southern outskirts of Reims. Their characteristics differ quite considerably, with Piper opting for a fruitier and lighter style of base wines.

Piper-Heidsieck Rare is a truly unique prestige cuvée. In the summer of 1976, an unprecedented heatwave struck France, the likes of which the Champagne region had never experienced before. Piper-Heidsieck's winemaking team began to wonder: could it be possible to create a cuvée given the remarkable conditions? Taming the natural forces was no easy task and when assemblage was complete and the final blend bottled, the team were so proud of the final product, they called it Rare. The brand started as Piper-Heidsieck Rare and in 2019 this became simply Rare. These cuvées are only produced in these exceptional years: 1976, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007 & 2008. In 2018 a new rose cuvee was released with 2007, now followed with 2008 and 2012.

Weather: Overall, the 2012 vintage was unpredictable. Spring saw some frost, torrential rain, and hailstorms. During flowering, temperatures were cooler than average. However, the weather improved considerably towards the end of summer, which allowed the grapes to ripen beautifully. The grapes were harvested at optimum ripeness and concentration.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: Chardonnay: Villers-Marmery, Vertus, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Chouilly and Avize | Pinot Noir: Verzy, Aÿ, Verzenay, Ambonnay, Ville-Dommange, and Les Riceys (for the red wine)
Grape Varieties: 60% Chardonnay & 40% Pinot Noir
Red Wine: 8% blended from Les Riceys
Lees Ageing: 8 years
Dosage: 7 g/l
Disgorged: September 2021
Cork: Traditional two disk
Drink: Now to 2045

Tasting Note: The nose is full of fresh red and black fruits and hints of cherry, the palate has great texture, bundles of fruit like passion fruits and bold red currants and black cherry. A complex Rose with plenty of texture and power and a light and delicate end with hint of salinity. Will age for 20+ years.