Philipponnat - Cuvée 1522 Rosé Extra Brut 2012

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Disgorged in March 2021 with 4.5 grams per liter dosage, Philipponnat's 2012 Extra-Brut Rosé Premier Cru 1522 offers up deep aromas of red berries, spices, bitter orange, plums and fresh bread. Medium to full-bodied, deep and vinous, it's layered and concentrated, with bright girdling acids and delicate structuring phenolics. Long and penetrating, it's as fine a rendition of this cuvée as I can remember tasting.

As I've written before, Charles Philipponnat took the reins at this historic house in Mareuil-sur-Ay in 1999, initiating a remarkable renaissance that continues to this day. The flagship wine remains the Clos des Goisses, first produced in 1935: this steep, south-facing site is one of Champagne's ripest terroirs and produces what is arguably the region's longest-lived wine; it's the source of many of the greatest old Champagnes that I've ever tasted. And I suspect his experience with the Clos des Goisses informs Charles Philipponnat's pursuit of elevated maturity, his decision to generally block malolactic fermentation and his minimalist approach to dosage. Recent years have seen a new series of lieu-dit bottlings from within the Clos des Goisses, taking the idea of terroir Champagne that this house pioneered back in 1935 even further. And in the last few years, the

Champagne Club by Richard Juhlin

Fine seriousness with stringency, modest oak character, leathery Aÿ bouquet with animalic overtones and a touch of hazelnut and incipient chocolate scent. Rich dry and gastronomic.

Andreas Larsson - Tasted

Bright and pale colour with a copper hue and vivid small bubbles. Pure and intense perfume showing confit de citron, raspberry, marzipan, fine pastry and fresh butter. Distinct and grippy palate with good concentration marrying ripe fruit notes with a brilliant freshness, soft and supple creaminess, good autolytic complexity with fine nutty notes, light toast and wild strawberry flavours. Long and really persistent finish.

Falstaff

Wine Enthusiast

Vineyards around Aÿ form the basis of this dry rosé Champagne. The richness balances the dry style, bringing out the ripe fruits as much as zesty acidity. Drink this wine now.

Decanter Magazine

This Extra-Brut Rosé is composed of 73% Pinot Noir and 27% Chardonnay. It is already showing a vibrant, fresh, distinctive bouquet with raspberry, strawberry, orchard fruit and lemon. Full-bodied, it’s elegantly fleshy, with depth and core, and concludes with a long, penetrating finish. I strongly recommend waiting at least a few years before popping corks to realise this wine’s considerable potential. Disgorged: March 2021. Dosage: 4.5 g/L.