Description
About five years ago we were staying at a remote, historical boutique resort ranch, Manade Jacques Bon, in the southernmost Rhone delta’s Camargue region where flamingos migrated annually to the marsh land known for its special rice and pink salt, and the white horses (Cheval de Carmargue) and black cattle breed are equally famous. Dinner that night was in the resort’s Gault & Millau and Michelin awarded Le Mas de Peint (“The Painted Farmhouse”) restaurant to celebrate Renee’s Mom’s 70th birthday. Here it was for the first time we drank a bottle of the Philipponnat Brut Royale Reserve Champagne (now renamed “Reserve Perpetuelle”). We were all so utterly impressed with the quality level I nervously wondered if the restaurant’s sommelier had mistakenly presented and open a much more expensive vintage bottling from this legendary Champagne house. Seriously, I dreaded looking at the check (for many reasons LOL!). But alas, nothing to be alarmed about as the Somm was correct and I had worried for nothing. Ever since we have always tried to procure any of Philipponnat’s bubbles including its classic, “tete d’ cuvee”, collectible single vineyard-vintage Clos des Goisses which is a predominantly Pinot Noir-Chardonnay cuvee harvested from a small knob of a steep 45 degree hillside of pure white chalk limestone ($350+ not currently available).
Typically one can expect to pay in the mid $75 range for this wine which is still a deal.
The cuvee is 65% pinot noir, 32% chardonnay and 3% pinot meunier; 44% of the wine is from the 2021 vintage and 56% reserve wines has been held in perpetual reserve. The 2021 base wine is vinified primarily in stainless steel, the reserve wines are stored in oak, and the wine undergoes partial malolactic fermentation. This bottling was disgorged in December 2024 with a dosage of eight grams per liter.
94 points Decanter! -“A distinctly red-berry nose – all red currants and small forest fruit. Red Delicious apple has such a telltale Pinot scent. The palate has pure, bright apple fruit, a lemony verve, and a very delicate mousse backed by gently salty autolysis. Vanilla oak comes through, like the custard on an apple crumble, carrying freshness and flavour until the lingering finish.”
93 points James Suckling! “Complex and smoky nose with orange blossom, green apple, licorice, chalky minerality and toasted bread. Refined palate with pinprick mousse, crisp acidity and a tight, tense and clean aftertaste. 65% pinot noir, 32% chardonnay and 3% pinot meunier.”
92 points Wine Spectator! A baseline of chalky minerality supports juicy pear and white cherry fruit, lemon peel and pickled ginger alongside rich accents of crystallized honey and biscuit in this sleek and creamy Champagne. Harmonious and finely knit, with good length through the lightly spiced finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Drink now through 2030. 5,000 cases made, 100 cases imported.
The Philipponnat family have been growing grapes in Champagne since 1522. The House was founded in 1910 by Pierre Philipponnat. Charles Philipponnat took over as CEO in 1999 and has improved the quality and production vastly by implementing smaller oak barrels, keeping different vineyard plots separate and utilizing only the first press. The jewel in the crown of the House is the historic and iconic 5.5 hectares ‘Clos des Goisses’ vineyard that sits on a steep, south-facing 45° slope starting at the Marne River. This is one of the warmest vineyard sites in all of Champagne and is planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In 1935 ‘Clos des Goisses’ was the first single vineyard Champagne produced and it would take over 50 years for other Houses to start producing serious Champagne just from a single Clos.
Philipponnat applies natural methods to work the soil, hoeing by hand and plowing with horses. The House’s expertise is particularly apparent in its use of the solera process. This technique is a very longstanding House tradition; it consists of keeping reserve wines in oak barrels and including them in non-vintage blends (in a proportion of one quarter to one third) and using this blend as a reserve wine for the following blend.
This progressive dilution allows every bottle to retain a trace of previous years’ wines blended since the very beginning. Successive Cellar Masters have attached great importance to handing down this expertise. Philipponnat was the first Champagne House to indicate the main year used in its non-vintage blends, the dosage, and the date of disgorgement on back labels, informing consumers and wine experts of the characteristics of each cuvée.
Vinified using traditional methods to avoid premature oxidation. Partial malolactic fermentation and reserve wines aged in casks to allow the aromas to develop complexity. Moderate dosage (8 g/litre) to maintain a balance between freshness, fruitiness and vinosity without masking the wine’s character and purity.
Aged on the lees in the House’s cellars at a constant temperature of 12°C for three years, far longer than the legal minimum requirement of 15 months.