Philipponnat : Cuvée 1522 Grand cru 2018

A quarter of the wine for the 2018 Champagne Grand Cru 1522 Extra Brut was barrel fermented (72% of the wine was done without malo to retain tension in the wine). In the glass, it pours a straw/light copper-toned color, and the nose is very pretty and well-detailed, with wonderfully pure notes of beeswax, fresh peach, almond pastry, delicate spice, and raspberries. Medium to full-bodied, it’s elegant and graceful in this vintage, with a refined, pillowy mousse, a slowly tapering finish, and a chalky texture. It is a lovely wine now, but it will benefit from several years in the cellar. 9000 bottles were produced, and it was disgorged in October of 2023. Drink 2025-2040.

Philipponnat’s 2018 Extra-Brut 1522 Grand Cru is a great success—not just in the context of the vintage. Comprising 72% Pinot Noir from the Le Léon vineyard in Aÿ and 28% Chardonnay from Oger, it wafts from the glass with a deep bouquet of orange peel, crisp apple, peach and gooseberry mingling with bread. On the palate, it is full-bodied, elegantly muscular and impeccably balanced, with a deep core of crisp fruit, tangy acidity and a long, sapid finish. Disgorged in October 2023 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter, this is a wine of real character.