Price: £195
Time: 11.15-12.30pm
Speaker: Emilien Boutillat, Chief Winemaker, Piper-Heidsieck & Rare Champagne
Co-Host: Natalie Earl, France Regional Editor, Decanter

Purity, freshness, precision and power. These are the characteristics that set Rare Champagne apart. In the more than 40 years of its existence, Rare Champagne has declared just 14 vintages – limited editions, made in the best years, and to exacting standards. This masterclass will be led by Émilien Boutillat, chief winemaker at Rare Champagne and its sibling Champagne house Piper-Heidsieck, and will be co-hosted by Decanter’s Natalie Earl. Guests will taste their way through a range of exceptional Rare vintages, dating back to the legendary 1988.

As an exclusive world preview, guests will be among the first to taste Rare Champagne’s latest Millésime, which won’t be released until November 2024.

WINES:

• Rare, Rosé Millésime, Champagne, France 2012
• Rare, Rosé Millésime, Champagne, France 2014
• Rare, Millesime, Champagne, France 2013
• Rare, Millésime, Champagne, France 2008 (magnum)
• Rare, Millésime, Champagne, France 2006 (magnum)
• Rare, Millésime, Champagne, France 2002
• Rare, Millésime, Champagne, France 1988
• Exclusive release

EMILIEN BOUTILLAT 

Émilien Boutillat was born and brought up near Reims to a winegrowing family. He studied agricultural engineering and oenology in Montpellier in southern France and worked at several prestigious properties in his home country before setting out to work abroad. After honing his skills at top wineries in California, South Africa, New Zealand and Chile he headed home to Champagne. He joined Piper-Heidsieck in 2018, taking up the reins from cellarmaster Régis Camus upon his retirement.

Boutillat’s detailed knowledge of responsible viticulture gives him a singular expertise, driven by an intellectual, cross-disciplinary approach. His winemaking motto is “Stay open to new ideas and continue to produce the best.”

NATALIE EARL

Natalie Earl is Decanter’s regional editor for France, overseeing and commissioning French content across both print and digital.

After a degree in French and Italian, she initially worked in wine tourism in the south of France before returning to the UK in 2016 to join the tastings team at Decanter, making the shift to the editorial team in 2021.

She writes and tastes wines for the magazine and website, with a particular focus on the wines of Languedoc.