The
wines of Champagne Philipponnat
Impressive Champagnes, including the remarkable Clos des Goisses
Champagne
Philipponnat - Domaine du Clos des Goisses
13, rue du Pont - 51160 Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, France,
Tel
: +33 (0)3 26 56 93 00
Website: www.philipponnat.com
The modern era of Champagne Philipponnat
began in 1910 when Auguste and Pierre Philipponnat established their
Champagne house in its current location of Mareuil sur Aÿ. Things
were tricky then: before long, the world would be at war, and the
region was only just beginning to recover from the phylloxera
crisis.
It was in 1935 that Pierre Philipponnat
acquired their crown jewel: the Clos des Goisses vineyard. It’s
5.5 hectares of steeply sloping, south-facing vineyard (now 3.5 ha
Pinot Noir, 2 ha Chardonnay, but back in 1964 it was exclusively
Chardonnay), and makes one of the region’s most remarkable
single-vineyard wines. With its thinly topped pure chalky soils and
an average growing season temperature of 1.5 °C higher
than the rest of Champagne, this clos is a special site, and the
wine from it is truly remarkable.
Philipponnat is primarily a Pinot Noir
house, and its vineyards are in prime Pinot Noir territory: Mareuil
sur Aÿ, Aÿ, Avenay, and Mutigny. However, all cuvées contain at least 30% Chardonnay for
freshness. Its 20 hectares of vineyards represent about a third of
its total needs, with the rest being bought in from growers.
In the 1990s, Philipponnat’s reputation
began to slip (it passed from family ownership and became part of
the Marie-Brizard drinks group in the 1970s), and in 1997 the house
was acquired by Bruno Paillard and became part of
Lanson-Boizel-Chanoine Champagne Group ( www.lanson-bcc.com)
. Charles Philipponnat, grandson of Auguste, and who had been
working at Moët,
was brought in to run the house in 1999. Production is currently
around 600–700 000 bottles a year and quality is impeccable across
the range.
(UK agent Les Caves de Pyrene)
THE
WINES
Champage Philipponnat Royale Reserve
ND
Zero dosage. Taut, focused and fine with pithy citrus notes and
some apple on the nose. The palate is lively and bracing. It's crisp
to the point of austerity, with a lemony finish. 90/100 10/12
Champagne Philipponnat Royale Reserve
ND
This is a zero dosage style, based on the 2005 vintage with 28%
of reserve wines, and mostly Pinot Noir. Disgorged October 2008; 12%
alcohol. Yellow/gold colour. Aromatic, herby, gently toasty nose
with some richness. The palate is fresh, bright and savoury with
good acidity and subtly toasty citrus fruit character. Fresh and
broad at the same time, this is a distinctive wine. Very fine, if
tending towards the austere. 90/100 10/10
Champagne Philipponnat Royale Reserve
ND
From the 2005 vintage, with no dosage added. Deep yellow/gold
colour. Taut, warm, toasty and herby, with a lovely savoury, fruity
quality and good acidity. This avoids being at all harsh, with a
honeyed, toasty richness and a dry palate. Nicely complex. 91/100
07/09
Champagne Philipponnat Grand Blanc
2004
Very fine and fresh with lemon and apple notes, as well as some
riper characters. Subtle toasty notes, as well as taut, precise
citrus and herbs. Fine, precise and focused. 93/100 10/12
Champagne Philipponnat Grand Blanc 2000
12% alcohol; 5.2 g/l dosage; disgorged September 2007. Fresh,
aromatic, toasty nose with lovely citrus freshness and subtle herby
notes. The palate is savoury and taut with nice citrus freshness.
Lovely precision and fruitiness. Concentrated and quite complex with
lovely finesse and low dosage precision. Quite vinous. 93/100 07/10
Champagne Philipponnat Grand Blanc
2004
12% alcohol; 5 g/l dosage; disgorged July 2009. Fresh, aromatic,
pure nose with lovely citrus intensity and taut herby, toasty notes.
The palate has a nice lemony quality and some citrus peel
bitterness. Precision, concentration and good acidity. Bold flavours;
strongly savoury. A brilliant effort. 94/100 07/10
Champagne Philipponnat ‘Cuvee
1522′ Grand Cru 2003
Sweet apple and pear notes on the nose, which is fine and
expressive. Taut palate, despite the warm vintage, with good
acidity. Pure and precise with citrus and herb notes. Fine. 93/100
10/12
Champagne Philipponnat ‘Cuvee
1522′ Grand Cru 2000
60% Ay Pinot Noir; 40% Grand Cru Cotes de Blancs Chardonnay. 4 g/litre
dosage, disgorged July 2007. Tightly aromatic with savoury toast and
herb nose. Very fine and quite vinous. The palate is savoury,
complex, taut and focused with pithy, toasty, citrussy depth and a
hint of warm nuttiness, as well as fresh acidity. Lovely purity and
complexity: a youthful, powerful wine with a lovely future ahead of
it. 95/100 08/10
Champagne
Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2002
It's so hard to assess
this wine at such an early stage, because I reckon this is one of
the great vintages, and it's currently so youthful. Fine, expressive
nose. Complex and concentrated with citrus, pear and herbs. Lovely
depth here: taut, precise and still youthful, with subtle toast.
Needs a lot of time, and this score may well climb. 96/100 10/12
Champagne
Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2001
From a tricky vintage,
but it's a great wine. Aromatic and inviting with toast, pear and
some richner notes on the nose. The palate has finesse, with open
citrus fruits and some linearity. Crisp and fine, for drinking now
and over the next few years. 95/100 10/12
Champagne
Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2001
Deep
yellow colour. Very intense and savoury with some richness, showing
notes of peach, nuts, apricot and toast. Really fresh as well as
being powerful with some red berry fruit hints and a lively citrussy
finish. Just fabulous for the lowly 2001 vintage. 95/100
05/12
Champagne Philipponnat Clos des
Goisses 2000
12% alcohol. From a south-facing, steeply sloped vineyard of 5.5
hecatres, this is a blend of 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay, and
it’s one of the best young Champagnes I’ve tasted. Full gold
colour. Amazingly rich and complex with some toasty notes as well as
hints of fresh raspberry and berry fruits, alongside the pear and
apple fruit. Really structured and intense, yet fresh and mineral
too. Brilliant. 97/100 11/11
See
also:
Champagne
Bollinger RD: a vertical tasting
Champagne
Krug
Champagne
Salon and Delamotte
Wines
tasted as indicated (month/year)
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