The 2012 Rare Champagne is one of the vintage's great Tête de Cuvees, created as the top cuvée of Piper-Heidsieck and now released under its own Rare Champagne label. The 2012 is built from 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir sourced from a collection of top Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages, with Villers-Marmery playing an especially important role in the house style. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and spent more than a decade aging on the lees, giving it remarkable depth while preserving the freshness and precision that made 2012 such an exceptional Champagne vintage. It combines ripe citrus, apple and subtle tropical fruit with crushed stone, pastry, toasted almond and a long saline mineral finish, all carried by an exceptionally fine mousse. What makes the 2012 so impressive is its balance between generosity and tension: it has plenty of richness and maturity, but remains incredibly bright, focused, and youthful. James Suckling recently awarded it 100 points in his 2026 Champagne report, calling it one of the best 2012s released and praising its purity, precision and extraordinarily long finish. Rare has always been one of our favorite values among the major prestige cuvées, and with this latest recognition, the 2012 stands as one of the strongest releases the house has produced. At today's low price, this remains a sensational opportunity to buy a truly world-class tête de cuvée with decades of life ahead!
James Suckling 100 pts! One of the best 2012s released. This so fresh and transparent, with superb clarity and brightness. Subtle aromas of mangoes, apples, some pie crust and crushed stones that follow through to a medium body with a tight palate and an endless finish. Precise on every level. Haute couture. Sophisticated. What a great Champagne can be. Released in magnum June 2026. Disgorged February 2025. Drink or hold.
Vinous 96 points! "The 2012 Brut Millésime blends 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, with Chardonnay mainly from Montagne de Reims and a small portion from Côte des Blancs, giving it a slightly unusual yet eternally sleek Chardonnay bent. It spent a decade on the lees. Its nose is a smoky wonder, combining ripe, almost tropical fruit with a gorgeous toasty sense of grilled almonds. An overtone of candied orange peel flashes up momentarily. The palate brings wonderfully golden plum fruit, ripe yet fresh, juicy and utterly aromatic, verging on apricot and always surrounded by a toasty, warming frisson of grilled nuts, pervaded by a streak of finest freshness. This is immensely youthful, captured with brilliantly pure fruit and lasting expression that rings long in a toasty umami echo. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. "
Jeb Dunnuck 96 points! "Golden yellow-hued, the 2012 Champagne Millésime has notes of pineapple, brûléed citrus, honeyed ginger, and lemon curd. Round and full, it offers a pillowy mousse with a long finish. It has more ripeness than the 2013 but has fantastic underlying tension and acidity. It’s deceiving, as it is quite approachable now but also has the bones to age over the coming decades."
2012 Piper Heidsieck Rare Champagne
2012 Piper Heidsieck Rare Champagne
The 2012 Rare Champagne is one of the vintage's great Tête de Cuvees, created as the top cuvée of Piper-Heidsieck and now released under its own Rare Champagne label. The 2012 is built from 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir sourced from a collection of top Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages, with Villers-Marmery playing an especially important role in the house style. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and spent more than a decade aging on the lees, giving it remarkable depth while preserving the freshness and precision that made 2012 such an exceptional Champagne vintage. It combines ripe citrus, apple and subtle tropical fruit with crushed stone, pastry, toasted almond and a long saline mineral finish, all carried by an exceptionally fine mousse. What makes the 2012 so impressive is its balance between generosity and tension: it has plenty of richness and maturity, but remains incredibly bright, focused, and youthful. James Suckling recently awarded it 100 points in his 2026 Champagne report, calling it one of the best 2012s released and praising its purity, precision and extraordinarily long finish. Rare has always been one of our favorite values among the major prestige cuvées, and with this latest recognition, the 2012 stands as one of the strongest releases the house has produced. At today's low price, this remains a sensational opportunity to buy a truly world-class tête de cuvée with decades of life ahead!
James Suckling 100 pts! One of the best 2012s released. This so fresh and transparent, with superb clarity and brightness. Subtle aromas of mangoes, apples, some pie crust and crushed stones that follow through to a medium body with a tight palate and an endless finish. Precise on every level. Haute couture. Sophisticated. What a great Champagne can be. Released in magnum June 2026. Disgorged February 2025. Drink or hold.
Vinous 96 points! "The 2012 Brut Millésime blends 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, with Chardonnay mainly from Montagne de Reims and a small portion from Côte des Blancs, giving it a slightly unusual yet eternally sleek Chardonnay bent. It spent a decade on the lees. Its nose is a smoky wonder, combining ripe, almost tropical fruit with a gorgeous toasty sense of grilled almonds. An overtone of candied orange peel flashes up momentarily. The palate brings wonderfully golden plum fruit, ripe yet fresh, juicy and utterly aromatic, verging on apricot and always surrounded by a toasty, warming frisson of grilled nuts, pervaded by a streak of finest freshness. This is immensely youthful, captured with brilliantly pure fruit and lasting expression that rings long in a toasty umami echo. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. "
Jeb Dunnuck 96 points! "Golden yellow-hued, the 2012 Champagne Millésime has notes of pineapple, brûléed citrus, honeyed ginger, and lemon curd. Round and full, it offers a pillowy mousse with a long finish. It has more ripeness than the 2013 but has fantastic underlying tension and acidity. It’s deceiving, as it is quite approachable now but also has the bones to age over the coming decades."
