Pale salmon-copper color with aromas of raspberries, fresh and dried cherries, rose-water, grapefruit, salted almonds, cloves and white pepper. Silky and vibrant, with very fine bubbles and bright acidity. Beautiful combination of fresh fruit and subtle spice. Lingering, salted yellow-plum notes on the long, elegant finish. Dry. 8% pinot noir red wine from Les Riceys, blended with 40% pinot noir and 60% chardonnay, from 12 different villages. 7g/l. Drink or hold. August 2022.

The 2012 Champagne Rare Rosé is a shimmering salmon hue and is elegant and restrained at the moment. It has a floral perfume of hibiscus, orange blossoms, white peach, and smoky incense. The palate is energetic and has more tension, with a fantastic chalky texture. It opens up with orchard fruits and honeycomb, and its floral notes linger long after the finish. Though it is a little shy now, this is an exciting release from the team at Piper-Heidsieck. Drink 2024-2044. Emilien Boutillat took over as Chef de Cave for Regis Camus in 2018. A native to Champagne, Mr. Boutillat has a versatile background in winemaking, having worked for several wineries across the globe, including at such prestigious estates as Chateau Margaux in Bordeaux and Peter Michael in Sonoma, California. He also spent time in Chile, Châteauneuf du Pape, and Franschhoek, South Africa, where he made Cap Classique (sparkling wines). There are several exciting new releases from the house, including the most recent, the second release of Hors-Serie from 1982. This is a reinterpretation of the previously released cuvée Sauvage, except disgorged 30 years later in 2022. Mr. Boutillat also selected to use wine from magnums of Piper-Heidsieck 1982 to top up the bottles of Hors-Serie after disgorgement, as the liqueur d’expedition. There were 2500 bottles produced, and the house is putting together 500 gift packs that will offer a side by side of the 1982 Brut Sauvage and the 1982 Hors-Serie. These two unique expressions are a treat to taste simultaneously, though they offer very different applications at the table.

Delicate and coy, the 2012 concedes notes of rose, cherry blossom and orange blossom, and the fruit comes through much later. There's still an opulence here, with black cherry, frangipane, toast and pastry, but it has poise and elegance. The mousse is silky and enveloping. This has 8% added as red wine, considerably less than the 18% for the 2014.