Limited Stocks. Price £450.00. You are entering in the field of haute couture Régis Camus, Cellar Master at Piper-Heidsieck Introduction to Rare: A heat wave like one never seen before struck France in the summer of 1976. Could it be possible to produce a cuvée worthy of the Maison under such conditions? After all, such an extraordinary event could produce an extraordinary cuvée. Thanks to their expertise and creativity, several men skilled in the art of winemaking transcended the disaster and tamed the unbridled natural forces that year to produce a cuvée of exquisite purity. It is known as Rare, in tribute to the events behind its creation. Since then, the Rare years where Nature unleashes its forces, a new cuvée is born. Tasting Notes: To the eye, sparkling highlights set against a green-gold background with refined, delicate, little bubbles. On the nose, an initial and extremely elegant touch of sandalwood and cedar gives way to a more generous and hearty bouquet of gingerbread, orange blossom and dried apricot. The lasting aromas are those of meringue, cocoa and liquorice, finishing with a more subtle and complex combination of the underwood, camphor and bergamot orange. The structure of this wine is delightfully gentle and varied, constantly alternating between firmness and warmth, with creamy notes and the delicious aromas of cocoa, greengage plums and mango. The overall impression is that of a timeless wine which marvellously. Winemaking: Rare 1998 is a blend of 10 crus including Oger, Villers-Marmery, Avize, Trépail and Chouilly for the Chardonnays, and Verzy, Ambonnay and Ludes for the Pinots Noirs Vintage 1998: A subtle year, producing rare vintage wines. At the dawn of the new millennium, this year yielded a refined and seductive vintage.