Champagne Philipponnat | Mareuil-sur-Aÿ
Philipponnat are one of the few remaining Champagne houses to be run by a member of its founding family. Situated in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, where the family’s roots date back to 1522, the estate has been under the guidance of Charles Philipponnat since 2000, in which time huge improvements have been made to the quality of the entire range.
Philipponnat grows 20 hectares of Premier and Grand Cru vineyards in the outstanding communes of Aÿ, Mareuil and Avenay. The Pinot Noir grape is king here and represents two thirds of their plantings. The winery is located just a stones through away from the iconic Clos de Goisses vineyard above the historic 18th century cellars of Chateau de Mareuil, where bottles are still aged and riddled manually (including all the vintage cuvées). A proportion of their wines are vinified and aged in oak barrels and malolactic fermentations are generally avoided. Ageing sur-lie runs from three to eleven years and dosage levels are low.
The house character lies in the harnessing the vibrant density of great Pinot Noir, producing wines of power without sacrificing freshness, with bright aromatic complexity a common thread.