The 2013 vintage is so very Rare, so pure. True to the classical Rare recipe its Chardonnay origins include a luxurious amount of Villers-Marmery and Côte de Blancs Grand Cru fruit, without forgetting the all-important ‘spice’ of Montgueux. The Pinot Noir mix plays with the cool verticality of Verzy and Verzenay, but on a crisp year like this more generosity was lent from for example plush Ambonnay and Bouzy fruit. Intense, shiny bright lemon-green colour.

2013 was characterised by a particularly late growing cycle. The never-ending winter was followed by a very cool, late spring. we had to wait until the start of July for flowering to begin – something we hadn’t seen in Champagne for quite some time! Fortunately, summer was glorious with plenty of sunshine, record temperatures and very low rainfall, ideal for the ripening of the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. the temperatures were cool for the October harvest and the resulting wines are elegant and fresh – the signs of a "classic" vintage.

As the guardian of the Rare Champagne style, Régis Camus selects the vineyards according to their expression rather than their rank in the scale of Premiers and Grand Crus. This blending approach contributes to the complex, distinguished, and yet pure style of Rare Champagne. He thinks outside the box, choosing Chardonnay grapes from the Montagne de Reims, more traditionally recognised for Pinot Noir, giving the wine freshness and precise minerality. He prefers the Pinot Noir grapes from the Montagne de Reims as well (for instance Verzy or Aÿ) for their sheer intensity and powerful silky texture.