Philipponnat : Réserve Perpétuelle Non Dosé

The N.D. Non Dose Royale Reserve is a big, yet bone-dry, Champagne that boasts tons of precision in a pure, crystalline expression of flowers, apricots and pastry. Not for the timid, the Pinot-dominated Non Dose Royale Reserve offers substantial power and heft that makes it a great choice at the dinner table. Despite the wine’s virile qualities the mousse remains exceptionally elegant. Stylistically, it is not an easy wine to understand for its austere qualities. The Non Dose Royale Reserve is vinified in oak with partial malo. Disgorged: October, 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2018. I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted from Philipponnat this year. Importer: Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Inc., Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153

Chalky and chiseled, this is finely balanced, with a raw silk feel to the mousse. A streak of salinity underscores notes of dried white cherry and raspberry fruit, lemon pith, raw almond and white blossoms. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged November 2024. Drink now through 2035. 5,000 cases made, 100 cases imported.

Also a bright silver straw color, the NV Champagne Reserve Perpetuelle Non Dose has a more focused and powdery nose but otherwise is similar to the Perpetuelle Brut, the only difference being the dosage. For me, its citrus and the more stone fruit notes of white peach stand out, with zesty freshness and powdery chalky earth. Medium-bodied, it has more verticality, and the mousse is more focused and lively compared to the roundness of the Brut. Drink over the next 10 years. This is going to be great with crudo and seafood.