Blanc de Blancs, 2018

Philipponnat grows 20 hectares of Premier and Grand Cru vineyards in the outstanding communes of Ay, Mareuil and Avenay. Pinot Noir 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 cuvees). 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 summer of 2018 was the driest on record, with virtually no rain from midJune until the harvest, and then again until the end of October. The harvest begins on 27 August, three days after the official departure date from Mareuilsur-Ay, and ends on 8 September. The quality of the harvest was generally satisfactory, with yields sometimes exceeding 12,000 kg/ha, which is not surprising given the very favourable weather conditions throughout the year.

100% Chardonnay from the villages of Avenay, Chouilly, Oger, Vertus and Trépail. First press juice from exclusively Premier and Grand Cru plots.

Traditional vinification to avoid premature oxidation. Partial malolactic fermentation for wines in vats, vinification without malolactic fermentation for wines produced in wooden barrels (38%). Extra-Brut dosage (4.25 g/l) to maintain the balance between freshness and richness, without masking the wine's character or purity. Aged for six years to achieve the greatest complexity in the wine and to bring out the secondary and tertiary aromas, evidence of the prolonged ageing on the lees