Champagne Philipponnat - Les Cintres Extra-Brut 2009

Maison Philipponnat

The oldest Champagne house

The Maison Philipponnat is the oldest Champagne house of the region. Its founder, April de Philipponnat, was granted some tracts of land by King Francis I of France, in 1522. This hero of the Battle of Marignan then settled in the little village of Aÿ, to the south-east of the Montagne de Reims, in the Marne department. However, the actual winemaking business only started during the 19th century. In total, fifteen generations of Philipponnat would work in the 20 hectares family vineyard over the years.

In the 20th century, Auguste and Pierre Philipponnat bought the former cellars of the Château de Mareuil-sur-Aÿ (in 1910) and managed to increase the champagne sales, turning the small family wine estate into a real high-class champagne brand. The Champagne House Philipponnat was thus founded in 1912. The Philipponnat family later acquired the largest enclosed plot of the region: the 5,5 hectares Clos des Goisses, bought in 1935.

The Maison Philipponnat now belongs to the Lanson-BCC group, since 1997. It is managed by Charles Philipponnat, the grandson of Auguste Philipponnat, who was nominated in 2000. Since the buyout, the international presence of the house has gone up. In spite of this popularity, the Philipponnat family has not forgotten its roots. The winemaking methods haven't changed much since the 19th century: draft horses to plow the fields, manual harvesting, traditional vinification… All done to produce an intense, fresh and authentic Champagne.

Browse our selection of champagnes from the Maison Philipponnat.