2002 Piper-Heidsieck "Cuvée Rare" Brut Champagne

“A gorgeous wine that's a legend in the making, the 2002 Rare Brut is a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, with just under 10 grams of dosage. Offering incredible notes of stone fruits, brioche, white flowers, and hints of toasted nuts, this flat out awesome wine is concentrated and opulent, yet still dances on the palate with vibrant acidity and great, great finish. It's going to drink beautifully for another two to three decades. Bravo! This cuvee has only been made in 1976, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2002, and in 2007.” (03/2018)

“Impeccably balanced and silky, with finely honed acidity shaping the expansive flavors of toasted brioche, crushed blackberry, lemon preserves and honey, revealing hints of Frangelico liqueur and smoked nut. Rich and vivid, with a lasting finish. *Highly Recommended, Collectible* (AN)” (11/2015)

“The pale gold, greenish shimmering 2002 Rare Millesime -- 30% Pinot Noir and 70% Chardonnay -- offers a very intense and rich, yet fresh nose of exotic fruit aromas of pineapples, mango, kiwi and passion fruit. On the palate, this is a mouthful of luscious Champagne: powerful and intense, but pure and with the complexity of matured wines. The finish is very exotic in its fruit aromas, but also persistently mineral. (SR)” (06/2016)

“‘Iconic’ is the selected word for this famous vintage, and it's a very good choice. The deep burnished gold colour belies a shimmering effervescence and a lively nose, which marries citric freshness with more exotic tropical notes. Passion fruit and quince are to the fore, followed by nuts, praline and oriental spices. The texture is generous yet silky, vivacious yet long, its complexity even more evident after over an hour in the glass. Impressive indeed! (SF)” (10/2019)

“The bouquet is complex, deep and refined, offering up scents of apple, lemon, fresh-baked bread, chalky minerality and a nice touch of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a fine core, lovely balance and grip, elegant mousse and a long, focused and still vibrant finish. At age twenty this wine is cruising along beautifully at its plateau of peak maturity and still has plenty of life ahead of it.” (05/2022)

“When we tasted this wine two years ago, I gave it a similar score (95 points), noting its seductive and complex flavors. For a 2002, the wine was already harmonious and accessible, ready to drink and structured to hold for several years. The powerful drive of the 2002 vintage seems bolder today; more about creaminess and brioche-like autolysis than fruit, it still leaves my mouth tingling with gingery freshness and brightness of acidity. If you haven’t tried Piper Rare in some time, this is worth checking out—a blend from 17 crus in the Montagne de Reims, 70 percent Chardonnay, 30 percent Pinot Noir, built for lobster or other rich shellfish.” (12/2015)

“This is top Champagne from Piper-Heidsieck, offering the delicious airy quality that’s the hallmark of this house, with crisp apple flavor, tangy acidity and the first signs of yeasty, toasty bottle age. Its fruit intensity has transformed into a splendid selection. It’s worth aging for a few more years, though also delicious now. *Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2012* (RV)” (12/2012)

“This vintage is traveling well and is still extremely composed on the nose and palate. Pleasantly complex, there's plenty to like here. Lemon curd, peach and light toffee aromas and flavors are locked in with bright, focused acid structure.” (10/2017)

“Light, bright gold. An intensely perfumed bouquet evokes candied orange, pear and ginger, with building floral and spice nuances. Juicy and precise on the palate, offering an array of citrus and floral flavors that become richer with air. A hint of nuttiness arrives on the finish, which is spicy, focused and very long. This Champagne seems set for a long life. (JR)” (11/2011)

“The mousse seems less fine than the old Charles Heidsiecks we have just been tasting. Straw gold. Intense and rather Dom Pérignon-like on the nose. Then on the palate it’s amazingly rich and tropical. Before slimming down into the corset of freshness. Lots of potential and tight and tense. 17.5/20 points (JR)” (06/2019)