Rare, Champagne

Even better than when I had it 6 months ago. This time it felt a bit more unfurled. Nose is full of yellow fruits, coffee, toffee, fleur de del, pineapple upside down cake. Palate is uber concentrated with great acidity/fruit balance. Liquid lemon meringue pie. Great stuff. Wish I had more. 95+.

2008 vintage

creamy, well balanced, a real joy at this point and mirror image of the 2002.

2008 vintage

풍부한 향 미네랄 뛰어난 맛

2008 vintage

Really quite excellent now. There is a lovely flintiness on the nose, almost akin to a magnum, together with those lovely tropical fruit notes that Rare is famous for. Precise on the palate with incredible length.

2008 vintage

Gorgeous. Big mouthfeel, medium + body. Satisfying, creamy, hint of caramel. White and yellow peach, pineapple and lime, nuts and floral notes. There are also toasty notes here. Long with some complexity. Drink now and over the next decade or so, dependant on how much caramel you like in your champagne, which will definitely increase from here.

2008 vintage

Seven Vintages of Rare (67 Pall Mall, London) : From magnum: gorgeously toasty, vibrant, rich long. Superb.

2008 vintage

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but tonight’s bottle, my first of the ’08 Rare, may have surpassed my longtime favorite 2002 vintage of this cuvée. While some ’08s remain reticent, this wine is already strikingly expressive. At first, the pinot, a small component of the blend, leads with red fruit. Then tangerine, orange peel, and apricot take center stage, followed by flowers, spice, and warm bread. It walks the line between explosiveness and elegance. A triumph. I loved this.

2008 vintage

Needed 90mins of air for the flavours to peak, but unfortunately most of the bubbles have dissipated then. 60mins of air was the sweet spot for me, because the ultra fine bubbles and textural experience were as impressive as the flavours. Intense nose of toast, brioche, lemon, bruised apples and honey. On the palate it was rich and decadent, with strong influence from Pinot noir coming through, though it is just 30% in the blend. Excellent acidity structure (medium+). The …

2008 vintage

Quite mellow, hints of caramel. Yellow peach lemon and apricot. Good body, great acidity. Good length, complexity coming. Drinking well now and over the next decade.

2008 vintage

Drank half the bottle over 2 hours. What a gorgeous Champagne. Not crazy toasty, stylistically medium+. The finish zings around your mouth for at least 4 minutes. I’m tempted to get my stopwatch out. As great as this was, it is interesting that I drank half of the bottle and am scoring it exactly the same as the previous 5 times when I had a small tasting pour. I thought drinking half the bottle would cause me to appreciate it …

2008 vintage

This is a very good champagne with bright bubbles, lemon zest and good mouthfeel. However, it felt a bit short on the finish for my liking to be placed in the tier of top-quality champagne.

2008 vintage

This was really good! Small bubbles, very elegant with gunpowder. Better with 1 hour of air.

2008 vintage

Tightly defined bright bubbles, brioche with sweet honey and apples and notes of citrus fruit. Absolutely delicious wine! I need to raid my IRA and buy a few more bottles!

2008 vintage

Champagne tasting at Peach Farm avec Les Amis Toasty nose, buttery mouthfeel. Figs and cotton candy with a zip of fresh citrus to keep it lively.

2008 vintage

PNP, another great bottle; outstanding, drink or hold

2008 vintage

Cremig, top Säure, hervorragendes Preis-Leistungsverhältnis

2008 vintage

Wine dinner at Kevin Rathbun Steak. 2008 Rare Champagne [94] 2017 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne [94] 1992 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley [92] 1993 Château Mouton Rothschild [91] 1998 Penfolds Grange [96] 2003 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée [94] 2004 Briamara Erbaluce di Caluso Caluso Passito Riserva [90] The Champagne was excellent, and I was grateful to finally try Penfolds Grange. The wine of the night was probably the Dunn, although Pegau is one of my very favorites. Unfortunately …

2008 vintage

After 30 min the wine opens to meyer lemon, lemon oil, slightly bruised apple. Expressive. But a bit rounded and full. A good entry champagne but not one of the greats.

2008 vintage

Ok

2008 vintage

Wedding Weekend of Wine; 10/3/2025-10/5/2025 (Napa Valley CA) : Small glass, brief note. Ripe while also so well structured that it was able to maintain such brightness. Very good length.

2008 vintage

As well as this is drinking, I feel like it has another 3-5 years until it reaches its apogee. Reminds of the LP grand siecle 26 which I’ve had multiple times. Roasted coffee, yellow plum, toffee, pineapple. Lots of acidity but no means overpowering. Great balance. Finished with sour lemon candy and fleur de sel. Delicious, yet still a bit coiled. 94+.

2008 vintage

Nice weight, copious but tiny bubbles, lancing acidity just held in check by medium weight fruit, a whiff of reduction - veers a little more towards a great white burgundy with bubbles than many entry level champagnes, like Piper's mass produced label, for instance. Tremendous.

2008 vintage

Fresher with less mature complexity but good concentration. Lemon, lime, green apple, lemon rind giving a darker edge. Quite a lot of power and concentration. Quality although lacking nuance Vs the Dom. Still enjoyable. 93+ On a side note, intrigued this has a 0.1 higher average CT score versus the 2002 Dom P I had alongside... While I liked this, the Dom was on another level for me!

2008 vintage

great showing and drank very well, i would like to have this again in 10 years to see the evolution

2008 vintage

almost funny how an otherwise middling level producer managed to stumble upon and produce a great wine. AAA. hugely underpriced and one of WKs rare misses (rated it low)

2008 vintage

Just wildly delicious. Marmalade and marzipan on the nose. Stonefruit, star fruit, and balanced acidity. Gentle, persistent mousse. Drank for no reason at all, except joy.

Creamy, baked apples, nice acidity. Will see if there’s any more complexity on day 2. [day 2] no

This wine is very well made. It's just not for me. The funkiness component, although subtle, is something I don't prefer. For those who prefer the taste/nose profile, this could be a great wine!

Rent grønt æble, bagværk og hasselnød. Lidt autolyse og kridtet fornemmelse. Høj syre men i perfekt balance

A 50-50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from old vines grown in the 1er Cru vineyards of Trépail. Extra Brut. Served blind. Quite deep lemon yellow color. Rich and fragrant nose with creamy autolysis, attractive aromas of sweet brioche, cooked apples and soft wisps of smoke. The wine is complex, dry and subtle on the palate with flavors of creamy autolysis, chalky minerality, some apple purée and a hint of honey. Although there is nigh any residual sugar in …

Popped and poured. Nearly identical to the last bottle I had of this. Copious amounts of bubbles, reductive nose, sharp acidity, sour apple palate and an aggressive finish that peaks quickly and then falls off of a cliff. Five seconds after swallowing, it's like you never had a sip of wine. Interesting Champagne, but not something I would actively seek out.

Chris really enjoyed, but unfortunately I was too distracted to take notice. Adding a note for others who may want to calibrate: he tends to prefer the fuller-bodied, Pinot- heavy champagnes with a touch of sweetness.

Very different champagne with 50/50 pinot noir and chardonnay. Stands up to even spicy food very well. I recommend it and for you to have an adventure!

Popped and poured. Light straw color. Aggressive bubbles. Nose was a bit reductive and had an undertone of VA. Sour apple candy on the palate. Clean finish. Drinkable, but not my favorite.

A noble experiment from a family of great champagne grower-producers! Yellow-gold in color. Tangy in the nose. Too sour for me...although I must say it took me a couple glasses to decide. Such a different champagne...

Natural wines - Take 2 : Red apples and overall an okay wine but lacks excitement and depth.

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Rare, Champagne

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