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92POINTS
17/20
Champagne Philipponnat Grand Blanc Extra Brut 2014
Côte des Blancs, Champagne, FranceThe Philipponnat family have been wine growers and merchants since the 16th century, and own 17 hectares of vineyards, all worked sustainably, with horses and no chemical inputs. Champagne Philipponnat began in 1910 when Auguste and Pierre Philipponnat established their Champagne house in its current location of Mareuil sur Aÿ. This BdB comes off 1er and GC sites in the Côtes des Blancs, and was vinified in vats with partial MLF, and also in barrels with no MLF. It rested up to 8 years on lees before being disgorged with 4.5 g/L in April 2022. Though this BdB comes from the troublesome 2014 vintage, it is showing very smartly. Toast, lemon, green apple floods a meringue base, shaped deeply with chalk, which lingers on the lengthy finish. There's a lot of cut and buzzy freshness here for 6-8 years on lees, leaving this an arrow that powers across the chalky palate. There's a lovely harmony here struck between the deeply chalky soils, and toasty autolysis, framed very well with the low dosage and choice against much MLF. The clear bottle can be an issue (#lightstrike) as can the somewhat dodgy 2014 vintage. Drinking now, as a posh aperitif or with a delicate first course.Tasted: 06 July 2023Tasted by: Treve RingPrices:| ON | $115.00 | 750ml | LCBO |
Grape: Chardonnay
