Champagne Spotlight: Champagne Philipponnat

The Philipponnat family established their wine business in the villages of Ay and Mareuil-sur-Ay in 1522. The family’s forefathers were, at the time, vineyard owners, merchants and wine makers and were both magistrates and mayors of the village of Ay and also purveyors to the then French King Louis XIV.

Over time, the family has developed a well regarded and established Champagne business and, in the 19^th century introduced its own label to bottles and raised its own status by moving all operations to Mareuil-sur-Ay at the turn of the 20^th century.

Champagne Philipponnat make wines of distinction, none more so than there revered and highly sought after top cuvee, Clos de Goisses – made from a small plot that was ravaged by phylloxera and subsequently replanted – along with other, ready to drink and exquisitely made higher production wines.

The house is now run by Charles Philipponnat and he still makes wines according to the traditional way they have always done at the winery. There is never less than 30 per cent of Chardonnay in their champagnes – thus answering for the freshness in the wines – and their Pinot Noir, which is grown on their own vineyards at the Montagne de Reims.

Significantly, around half of their wines, including the Clos de Goisses are vinified in small oak barrels that give the wines the complexity so sought after by its loyal consumers. This is also true for its reserve wines, including the Royal Reserve, which too is vinified in oak.

At a tasting yesterday in the Regal Kowloon hotel, importer for Champagne Philipponnat, Hong Kong’s Connoisseur Wines showed off three of the wines available on the Hong Kong market to some of the city’s influential hotel and restaurant managers, alongside some of the city’s sommeliers and members of the Hong Kong Sommelier Association.

The three Champagnes served were, firstly, the Philipponnat Royal Reserve (and also my favourite of the three) which showed a great mousse and very gentle bubbles alongside a bready, toasty character on the palate, backed up with good acidity and hints of citrus and a touch of honey (sweetness) on the finish. I have to say this is the first time I have tried the wine itself and I was pleasantly surprised.

Moving on, tasters also had the opportunity to taste the Reserve Rosé, a wine true to the house style and one with a lovely salmon pink colour. The wine is fruity and there are notes of red berries on both the nose and the palate. I found the wine very palatable and a great rosé, more complex and sophisticated than other, more mass-market rosés. This is certainly one that will suit the female drinkers and one that offers just a little more excitement and intrigue than expected.

Finally, the Philipponnat Grand Blanc was tasted. A wine made from 100 per cent Chardonnay from their vineyards in the Cotes de Blancs area; mainly Cuis, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Vertus which account for 70 per cent of the grapes, whilst the other 30 per cent are sourced from Clos des Goisses in Mareuil-sur-Ay and Trepail on the Montagne de Reims.

The wine itself is, in fact, very good and, although not my favourite on the night was very highly regarded by present company and thought of as a highly sophisticated wine that had great length alongside buttery and toasty nuances on the palate. It’s a powerful wine but balanced with elegance and leaves a nice creamy texture to the finish.

The full range of Champagne Philipponnat wines are available from Connoisseur Wines in Hong Kong and they can be contacted by e-mail on sales@connoisseur-wines.com.hk or you can check out these and the other wines they import to the city on their website www.connoisseur-wines.com.hk