Skip to content
Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2008 Millésime, Rare Champagne, Magnum Gift Box

2008 Millésime, Rare Champagne, Magnum Gift Box

Champagne, France

Golden Grandeur

Presented in a gift box, this magnificent 1.5-litre magnum makes an exceptional Christmas present for someone who appreciates truly distinguished Champagne. From the celebrated 2008 vintage, Rare combines the pleasure of a beautifully mature wine with the freshness and structure for years of further development. A generous gift for a collector, a memorable anniversary bottle or the centrepiece of a festive gathering, it offers plenty to admire beyond its striking presentation.

Radiant, poised and wonderfully intricate, Rare 2008 opens with orange blossom, white flowers and Williams pear, followed by mandarin, fresh almond and a delicate suggestion of tropical fruit. As it unfolds, subtle toast and smoky mineral notes lend depth to the perfume, while a faint herbal lift keeps the bouquet beautifully alive. Its golden colour and fine, persistent bubbles promise richness, but the first impression is one of remarkable freshness and precision.

The palate is expansive yet tightly focused, with a silky mousse carrying layers of citrus, pineapple and orchard fruit. Vibrant acidity gives the wine its remarkable energy, balancing its generosity and drawing everything towards a long, saline finish. Time in the glass reveals further complexity, making this Champagne worth lingering over throughout a meal. Enjoy it now for the interplay of maturity and freshness, or cellar it patiently as its texture and flavours continue to develop.

For when: The occasion deserves a bottle that will be remembered long after the last glass.

Pairs with: Serve with butter-poached lobster, seared scallops with cauliflower purée, Dover sole meunière, roast turbot with Champagne sauce, chicken with morels or aged Comté.

Rare is produced only in selected vintages, and 2008 captures the house’s combination of floral finesse, exotic fruit and enduring freshness particularly well. The magnum holds the equivalent of two standard bottles, bringing both a generous sense of occasion and an appealing format for long-term cellaring.

Whats in the bottle
70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir

Notable Awards
99 points, JamesSuckling.com, tasted from magnum

Save 24% Save 24%
£525.00
£525.00 - £525.00
£525.00
£399.00
£399.00 - £399.00
£399.00
Make it a giftOptional gift bags and wooden boxes Choose +

Choose your packaging, then carry on shopping.

Choose your packaging
Availability:
In stock

Rare Champagne grew from the prestige-cuvée tradition of Piper-Heidsieck, with 1976 marking its inaugural vintage. Now a distinct Champagne house, its identity rests on selective vintage releases and the patience to allow each wine to develop before reaching the table. The ornate bottle reflects that sense of ceremony, but the wine’s enduring appeal comes from the precision and complexity within.

Vineyard selection follows character rather than classification alone. Chardonnay plays the leading role, including fruit from the Montagne de Reims, an area more commonly associated with Pinot Noir. This approach gives Rare its distinctive combination of floral fragrance, generous texture and mineral freshness, with Pinot Noir contributing depth and structure.

The 2008 was created under Régis Camus, whose meticulous blending helped establish Rare’s reputation. Émilien Boutillat succeeded him as cellar master in 2022, continuing a philosophy of careful selection, prolonged maturation and balance. These are Champagnes designed to reveal themselves gradually, rewarding attention at the table and patience in the cellar.

A blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir drawn from eleven crus. Chardonnay, selected mainly from the Montagne de Reims, provides the aromatic finesse and freshness, while Pinot Noir brings substance and a silky structural foundation.

The first fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks, followed by full malolactic fermentation. Secondary fermentation in bottle and prolonged ageing on the lees developed the wine’s fine mousse, texture and complexity. The subtle toasted character comes from maturation rather than barrel fermentation.

Rare 2008 has been released through different disgorgements, allowing the house to present the vintage at successive stages of development. Its concentration and firm acidity make it particularly well suited to continued ageing in magnum.

The vintage began with mild, wet and overcast conditions, before brighter weather and an excellent first half of September helped bring the grapes to maturity. For Rare, the resulting balance of ripeness and freshness provided the foundations for a Champagne with exceptional longevity.

Alcohol: 12%. Suitable for vegans. Recommended drinking window: 2026–2050.

Wine-Searcher Retailer Awards 2026/27 Gold, Overall List in Cardiff