The name of Royal Réserve goes back to the ancestors of the Philipponnat family, vineyard owners, wine-merchants and winemakers, suppliers to Louis XIV, magistrates and Royal Mayors of Ay.
Deep gold in colour with amber glints. Delicate froth, lively and lingering. The first nose reveals vine blossom, linden and fresh, lightly toasted bread. After breathing, aromas of summer berries, citrus fruit and honey develop. Fine vinous attack on the palate, fruity (redcurrant, raspberry, ripe grape) and full bodied, generous and long. Light notes of biscuit and freshly baked bread on the finish.
As an aperitif, served chilled but not ice-cold (8°C). Enhances hot or cold white meats, poultry and premium charcuterie. An ideal complement to cold buffets, fish and seafood.
The Blend: 65% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier. First press juice of mainly Grand and Premier Crus grapes from the heart of the Champagne wine-growing area. 20 to 30% of reserve wines are aged in wooden barrels using the solera system to incorporate older wines without losing freshness.
92 Wine Advocate Based on the 2015 vintage, complemented by some 35% solera-aged reserve wines, the latest rendition of Philipponnat's NV Brut Royale Réserve was disgorged in September 2019 with eight grams per liter dosage. Offering up a lovely bouquet of golden orchard fruit, fresh peach, blanched almonds and honeycomb, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and complete, with a generous core of fruit, chalky structuring extract, and an elegant pinpoint mousse. While this Royale Réserve is already quite demonstrative, it will be even better with some bottle age. - 92+ pts.
