Medium

Cork

White

France

Tasted in magnum as part of a remarkable vertical tasting of Rare in Versailles, a 1999 brought out as a replacement magnum after a question over bottle condition yielded a wine of such vivacity and freshness that everyone – from professionals to the cellar master Émilien Boutillat himself – was visibly surprised. I can't think of 1999 in better shape today; this vintage is often rather heavy and chewy, but this perfectly preserved magnum was explosive with mango, pineapple, gunpowder and candied lemon notes, amazingly focused for the year and satin-smooth in texture and mousse. More famous vintages may have yielded ultimately more detailed and complex editions of Rare, but this fine magnum was a reminder that, at this age, there are great bottles as much as there are great wines.

Chardonnay

Pinot Noir / Pinot Nero

Rare, Champagne, France, 1999

rare-1999.jpg

Tasted in magnum as part of a remarkable vertical tasting of Rare in Versailles, a 1999 brought out as a replacement magnum afte

Rare, Champagne, France, 1999

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