Champagne Philipponnat "Royale Réserve" Brut Rosé NV
(Champagne, France) - [WE 93] [JS 92] [WS 92] [VM 91] [WA 90]
Regular price $115.00 Sale price $104.97 Save $10.03
About the Domaine:
For almost five hundred years, the Philipponnat family has left its mark on the soil of the Champagne region. Generations have cultivated the land at Ay, the family's home since the time of Apvril le Philipponnat who owned vines at Le Léon, between Ay and Dizy, in 1522. In the 16th century, the family’s ancestors were winegrowers and merchants, suppliers to the court of Louis XIV, magistrates and Royal Mayors of Ay - a town which was directly dependent on the Crown since the era of the Counts of Champagne.
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.
Tasting Notes:
Salmon pink in colour with coppery glints. The first nose reveals summer berries with notes of cherry and wild strawberry. Notes of citrus and grapefruit peel develop with time. The attack is elegant and pure. Full and ample on the palate, with good acidity and a light astringency that brings out the fruitiness.
Food Pairing:
As an aperitif, served chilled but not ice-cold (9°C). Enhances smoked fish and meats (ham, bacon) or pink meat (veal, lamb). An ideal complement to summer berry desserts, either served plain or as a soup.
Technical Information
The Blend:75% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier. First press juice of mainly Grand and Premier Crus grapes from the heart of the Champagne wine-growing area. Reserve wines (25 to 30% of the blend) are aged in wooden barrels using the solera system to incorporate older wines without losing freshness.
Vinification:
Vinified using traditional methods to avoid premature oxidation. Partial malolactic fermentation and some of the wines aged in casks to allow the aromas to develop complexity. Still red wine made from Pinot Noir grapes from Mareuil-sur-Ay and Riceys is obtained by maceration and 7 to 8% is added to obtain a delicately coloured rosé with a very definite fruity taste. Moderate brut dosage (9 g/litre) to maintain a balance between freshness, fruitiness and vinosity without masking the wine’s character and purity.
Ageing:
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.
Ratings & Reviews
93 Points - Wine Enthusiast:"This Champagne is full and fruity, with hints of maturity as well as perfumed acidity. The red-berry fruits have a light structure while showing elegance. The aftertaste dwells on fruitiness." - Roger Voss (12/1/2010)
92 Points - James Suckling:
"Good reserve and freshness to this Champagne, which shows peonies, rose petals, bread crumbs and cinnamon and spice. A vertical palate follows, where tangy acidity punctuates integrated and creamy bubbles and carries subtle stone fruit medium-long. Drink now." (7/11/2019)
92 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Firm acidity creates a mouthwatering frame for this finely knit rosé, while the crunchy texture carries notes of ripe white peach and cherry fruit, Acacia blossom and salted almond. Clean-cut and lightly spiced on the chalky finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged June 2020. Drink now through 2025." - AN (10/15/2021)
91 Points - Vinous Media:
"The NV Brut Rosé Royale Réserve is absolutely lovely. Soft, open-knit and inviting, the Rosé Royale Réserve is an ideal wine for drinking now and over the next handful of years. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. The Rosé Royale Réserve is built on a strong core of Pinot Noir that represents 75% of the blend, and is the Pinot that drives both the flavor profile and overall feel. Readers will find a Rosé that will drink equally well as an aperitif or at the dinner table. This is an especially fine edition. This release is based on 2016, with the addition of 35% reserve wines. Dosage is 9 grams per liter. Disgorged: February, 2020." - Antonio Galloni (11/2020)
90 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Disgorged in February 2020 with nine grams per liter dosage, the NV Brut Rosé Royale Réserve wafts from the glass with aromas of raspberries, strawberries, peach, white flowers, blanched almonds and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and insipid, with a gently phenolic grip and a racy spine of acidity, like these other new Royale Réserve cuvées it's based on the 2016 vintage." - WIlliam Kelley 3/31/2021)