The modern era of Champagne Philipponnat began in 1910 when Auguste and Pierre Philipponnat established their Champagne house in its current location of Mareuil sur Aÿ. Things were tricky then: before long, the world would be at war, and the region was only just beginning to recover from the phylloxera crisis. 

It was in 1935 that Pierre Philipponnat acquired their crown jewel: the Clos des Goisses vineyard. It’s 5.5 hectares of steeply sloping, south-facing vineyard (now 3.5 ha Pinot Noir, 2 ha Chardonnay, but back in 1964 it was exclusively Chardonnay), and makes one of the region’s most remarkable single-vineyard wines. With its thinly topped pure chalky soils and an average growing season temperature of 1.5 °C higher than the rest of Champagne, this clos is a special site, and the wine from it is truly remarkable.