Typically, when searching for a bottle of Champagne wine, a “house style” is sought that is ideal for the drinker, and that bottle will then become a go-to Champagne. The idea of a Champagne “house style” has become the cornerstone for the Champagne wine region in Northern France, a 90-minute drive from Paris – a city symbolic of the spellbinding powers of Champagne.

Yet, that “house style” is dependent on a few key factors: using three different varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sometimes in small quantities Pinot Meunier; although in recent times, four other varieties have been approved, blending various vintage years and differing plots, and lastly, wisely choosing a particular strain of yeast that will allow the still wines in bottles to go through a secondary fermentation to create the bubbles – giving off byproducts called lees that will enhance aromas, flavors and texture as the wine ages on these lees.

And so, one can depend on that “house style” from a particular Champagne producer that is often times sold as their Non-Vintage Brut bottling so that it can be very similar in style year in and year out. Due to many of the excellent skills of the Champagne houses over the years, it has become known as a region that showcases the art of blending that has no other equal in the non-fortified wine world. But as time has gone on, there has been a strong desire among Champagne aficionados to delve into the terroir (sense of place) of this prestigious wine region, and it has become a part of any serious Champagne enthusiast’s journey to seek single vineyard bottlings with the rise of interest in grower Champagnes.

One wine producer is considered the most widely recognized to be the first to release a single vineyard Champagne: Philipponnat.

Clos des Goisses

The small Champagne house of Philipponnat released what many would consider the first official single vineyard Champagne in modern times, in 1935, coming from the Clos des Goisses vineyard in the Mareuil-sur-Aÿ area of Champagne. There is an earlier recording of the first site-specific single cru made by Salon, sourced from the commune of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, a prominent location for sourcing top grapes today, but it is not technically a single vineyard. And there might have been someone else making bottlings of a single vineyard on a minuscule scale that was only enjoyed locally before the release of Clos des Goisses, and hence, why one cannot say that it is the first without adding some caveats.

The Philipponnat family has been growing grapes in the heart of Champagne for over 500 years, and today, Charles Philipponnat is the 15th generation running this half-of-a-millennium Champagne house with his son François. In 1935, Charles’ grand uncle bought the Clos des Goisses vineyard, and despite it being unheard of to bottle a single vineyard Champagne wine, his uncle found that there was a unique combination coming from this site that he had never even known existed, even with centuries of family experience. It created a wine with a spectacular marriage of rich fruit with a strong backbone of minerality, all wrapped up in an elegant structure with laser precision. Because the grapes, mostly Pinot Noir with a small amount of Chardonnay, are able to achieve a good amount of ripeness, only a tiny amount of dosage – the amount of sugar added to wine that tops off a Champagne bottle right before it receives its final cork closure – is needed, which is lower when comparing to other Champagne houses. Hence, there is much more transparency of the site coming through in the glass.

Among hardcore Champagne collectors, the magnificent nature of this vineyard is well-known, with its steep land that has an ideal position to absorb the nurturing rays of the sun. Both Charles and his son François admit that the unconventional nature of having a Champagne that could be rich yet intensely fresh and minerally is a bit of a mystery. Still, they said the only thing that could explain this dynamic combination was the extraordinarily chalky soils, as every vintage released of Clos des Goisses, which is only made in the best years for the site, has this remarkable combination.

Ironically, although Clos des Goisses is cherished by those who are laser-focused on single vineyard Champagnes wines, for those who have a broader focus on what they like in the world of fine wines, Krug’s Clos du Mesnil, first made in 1979 and placed onto the market in 1986, is the one that tops the list. Clos du Mesnil has so much wide-reaching prestige that it can easily go for six times the price of Clos des Goisses. Undoubtedly, the excellent Clos du Mesnil by Krug deserves such adoration, but Clos des Goisses is an off-the-radar superstar for most people that deserves a lot more attention.

Innovation Through Transparency

Philipponnat is known as an innovative Champagne house, and it is no wonder when one even simply thinks of that crucial decision that Charles’ grand uncle made in making a single vineyard almost a century ago when such an act went against the very foundation of what Champagne wine was built on during that time. But their persistence in using a low dosage even in their Non-Vintage as well as their other cuvées, and placing disgorgement dates on their bottles in the 1990s before it became more widely prevalent in the 2000s, and using reserve wines (older vintages) in their Non-Vintage from 1946, furthers the point that they are an innovative Champagne house.

As Charles and François were showcasing a vertical of Clos des Goisses in New York City recently that showed the current vintage of 2015 against older vintages that went as far back as 1966, it was evident how well these Champagnes age. Also, 1966 was the ideal vintage to finish the tasting as it was symbolic of a time of revolution and innovation that still leaves its mark on societies around the world today. All those decades ago, Charles’ grand uncle was a grower who made the unconventional choice to go against the grain, not because he was trying to cause waves in the region, but simply because the wine he tasted from that site was beyond his wildest dreams. He could have never imagined that 89 years later, there would be a special gathering to taste a vertical that featured that unconventional choice that kicked off a magnificent revolution in the Champagne world.

Vertical of Clos des Goisses:

“LV” stands for Long Vieillissement (long aging)

2015 Champagne Philipponnat, Clos des Goisses, Extra Brut, Champagne, France: 78% Pinot Noir and 22% Chardonnay. Disgorged in March 2024 with a 4.5 g/l residual sugar (rs) dosage. In a lineup with significantly older Clos des Goisses one would think it would be hard for the youngest of the group to measure up to the more complex elders, yet this currently available 2015 is a knockout with fierce minerality and honeysuckle aromas that has the ideal amount of ripeness with mirabelle tart and apricot cobbler flavors with an underlying salty quality that comes across as lemon confit balanced beautifully with marked acidity and the long, flavorful finish is broad and bold in its delivery leaving a fantastic combination of a depth of flavor and mouthwatering freshness.

1998 Champagne Philipponnat, Clos des Goisses, Extra Brut LV, Champagne, France: 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. Disgorged in March 2023 with a 4.5 g/l rs dosage. The 1998 surprises and thrills like an unconventional roller coaster ride with fascinating fragrances of candied ginger, lit incense stick and a hint of butterscotch that evolves into more zesty flavors of lemon drop and lime sorbet that has an overall lightness of being on the palate that finishes with a smoky minerality.

1982 Champagne Philipponnat, Clos des Goisses, Extra Brut LV, Champagne, France: 67% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay. Disgorged in March 2022 with a 4.5 g/l rs dosage. The purity of the flavors on this 1982 are so clear and precise that it is simply stunning as golden apples and nectarine fruits are conjured by the aromas and flavors and one can imagine every nuance of these fruits as this Champagne delineates every facet of their characters.

1966 Champagne Philipponnat, Clos des Goisses, Extra Brut LV, Champagne, France: 67% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay (estimate). Disgorged in June 2008 with a 4.5 g/l rs dosage. Extremely impressive doesn’t do this 1966 justice as its vitality and freshness with vibrant expression is mind-blowing with racy acidity and lemon curd flavors and hints of baking spices that is intensely concentrated yet becomes quite linear in its drive near the finish.

Other Cuvées:

NV Champagne Philipponnat, Royale Réserve Brut, Champagne, France: 67% Pinot Noir, 31% Chardonnay and 2% Pinot Meunier from primarily Grand and 1er Crus. Disgorged in July 2023 with an eight g/l rs dosage. This Non-Vintage is certainly not a typical NV as it is multilayered in its complexity with wildflowers, wet river stones and lemon blossom with green mango flavors, very good concentration on the palate and bright acidity with a finish that is laser-focused.

2016 Champagne Philipponnat, Grand Blanc Extra Brut, Champagne, France: 100% Chardonnay from 100% Grand and 1er Crus. Disgorged in June 2023 with a 4.5 g/l rs dosage. This 2016 Grand Blanc evokes the image of a perfect white tulip that is at once delicate yet firmly sculpted that dances and prances on the palate with a nimble, pliable energy yet there is a permanent structure in the background that supports like a corset while juicy peach and lemon zest glides across the palate.

2018 Champagne Philipponnat, Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut, Champagne, France: 100% Pinot Noir from 100% Grand and 1er Crus. Disgorged in July 2023 with a 4.5 g/l rs dosage. Luscious aromas of brioche, apple pie and spiced cake make this 2018 irresistible from the first sip. It has an underpinning of cranberry orange muffins that give a brightness that also adds more depth of complexity.

2003 Champagne Philipponnat, Cuvée 1522 Extra Brut LV, Champagne, France: 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from 100% Grand and 1er Crus. Disgorged in March 2023 with a 4.5 g/l rs dosage. Multifaceted complexity with a bouquet of cocoa nibs and grilled peaches with balsamic chocolate drizzle laced with a mineral intensity carried across the palate by ultra-fine bubbles creating a creamy mousse.

2012 Champagne Philipponnat, ‘Les Cintres’ Extra Brut, Champagne, France: 100% Pinot Noir from two parcels within the Clos des Goisses vineyard, disgorged in October 2022 with a 4.5 g/l rs dosage. This 2012 “Les Cintres” comes from two parcels within the Clos des Goisses vineyard, with one having the oldest vines with the lowest yields and the other parcel bringing more freshness with a fantastic synergistic result of profound concentration combined with lively energy that makes this a brilliant example of what makes the Clos des Goisses such as special property. Captivating bouquet of cherry crisp, ocean spray and rose petals with a luminous transparency that ignites a powerful, visceral feeling in the drinker of bliss and a very long finish that leaves one with a deep ache for more.