Description

The name of Royal Réserve goes back to the ancestors of the Philipponnat family, vineyard owners, wine-merchants and winemakers, suppliers to Louis XIV, magistrates and Royal Mayors of Ay

The cuvée is 65% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier. First press juice of mainly Grand
and Premier Crus grapes from the heart of the Champagne wine-growing area. 20 to 30% of reserve wines are aged in wooden barrels using the solera system to incorporate older wines without losing freshness.

The grapes are vinified using traditional methods to avoid premature oxidation. Partial malolactic
fermentation and reserve wines are aged in casks to allow the aromas to develop complexity. Zero  dosage (no sugar) helps to maintain a natural balance between freshness, fruitiness and vinosity without masking the wine’s character and purity.  This cuvée reveals the wine’s basic sensory qualities through its total absence of sugar and offers a subtle blend of aromatic precision (citrus notes, orange zest), minerality and vinosity. A dazzling and genuine expression of the Philipponnat style.

The cuvée is aged on the lees (en tirage) in the cellars at a constant temperature of 12°C for three
years, far longer than the legal minimum requirement of 15 months.

“Fresh and minerally, with a luxurious mousse that wraps around a firm spine of acidity, carrying a finely meshed range of ripe black plum and poached peach, grapefruit pith, white blossom and chalk notes. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. Disgorged February 2023. Drink now through 2028. 4,000 cases made, 400 cases imported.” – 92 points, Wine Spectator