2013 Piper Heidsieck Brut Cuvee Rare
Today, we’re delighted to offer the newest release from Champagne Piper Heidsieck: the 2013 Rare! Like the name implies, this is a rare bottling from this top Champagne House. Only produced in the very finest vintages, for a total of 11 since its inception in 1976. The 2013 is an exceptional wine made from a blend of 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, sourced from the Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards of Montagne de Reims. In a cool growing season like 2013, the laser like focus of the Chardonnay is front and center but nicely balanced with the ripe Pinot Noir from Bouzy and Ambonnay.
Honestly, I haven’t been chasing the Grand Marques Champagnes lately when so many are over-hyped and resting on their laurels. But a couple weeks ago, I got a chance to taste the 2013 Rare and found it to be utterly mind bending! Man, this wine spoke to me in a way very few wines do.
It took me a while to hunt this down, but it paid off… I was able to score a nice parcel that allows me to offer it here today at a price $50/b less than what’s on wine searcher today.
Don’t miss this incredible price - I’ve only got 60 bottles available. Serious Champagne drinkers, or anyone seeking a well rounded cellar with want to own this!
Originally a part of the legendary Piper-Heidsieck Champagne house, Rare is moving their Champagne Millésime to a new brand and want it to stand alone. (Think Delamotte and Salon.) The 13th vintage for this cuvée, the 2013 Champagne Millésime is a blend is 70% Chardonnay with the rest Pinot Noir, with the majority of the blend coming from the Montagne de Reims Grand Cru and Premier Cru. A bright yellow hue, its aromatics are exquisite and well-balanced, with fresh notes of key lime, candied apple, fresh croissant dough, fresh pineapple, and honeysuckle. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with a rounded and supple texture and a pillowy mousse. It’s long on the palate and has a silky personality as well as a long, pristine finish. It has fantastic balance of decadence and freshness, and I could drink this all day. It’s going to have a long drinking window.
- Jeb Dunnuck, 98
The 2013 Brut Millésime, a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims, spent eight years on lees. A gorgeous whiff of reductive smokiness precedes a sea breeze and hints of toasted nuts. The palate is a picture of tautness, filigree foam, finesse and svelte poise. This wine is wonderfully pure and bracing, with hints of caramelized hazelnuts and almonds teasingly in the background, gaining definition from an oystershell saltiness. The longer you pay attention, the more happens in this wonderfully nuanced and sophisticated wine. A joy. Dosage is 9 grams per liter.
- Vinous Media, 95
The 2013 Brut Cuvée Rare evokes a fresh and minty bouquet complemented by aromas of white fruit, notably pear and apple, spring flowers and gentle spices with a hint of citrus. With aeration, elegant pastry notes come to the fore. On the palate, this is a moderately weighted, tension-filled yet airy Champagne with bright acidity, indicative of a cool-weather vintage, and a delicately smoky finish. Although already thoroughly enjoyable, it should age well over the next 10 years.
- Wine Advocate, 93
The nose opens with an initial whiff of creaminess, followed by hints of creamy polenta and tart yet aromatic citrus and chalk. The palate is immediately striking with saltiness and savouriness. The foam is rich and tiny bubbles burst, releasing the citric charm of lemon and white grapefruit. There is something driven, vertical and precise on the taut body, softened by that creamy generosity and subtle oyster shell appeal of the mousse. The finish holds a delicious frisson of white pepper and grapefruit zest spice. A very straight-laced wine for now that will unfold in its long future
- Decanter, 96
Such a pleasingly elegant and multifaceted Champagne with salty, creamy and toasty elements all wound together. Plenty of apricot pastries, pears, brown butter, fennel and salted almonds, with some iodine. It’s silky on the palate, with soft and supple bubbles, while remaining fresh and on edge. 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir, from 11 cru villages mostly in Montagne de Reims with Cotes de Blancs. Disgorged December 2022.
- James Suckling, 96
