NV Philipponnat Royale Reserve Brut Champagne 750 ml

Rooted in royal legend and the unabashed glamour of the Champagne region, the historic Philipponnat house makes one of the greatest non-vintage bottlings that money can buy.

Composed of Grand and Premier Cru grapes from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and complemented by rich, aged reserve wines, the NV Royale Réserve Brut Champagne has always dazzled us, and now we’ve got the opportunity to bring it to you: its voluminous, expansive, and creamy texture, fine and persistent mousse, and heady nose appointed with butter-baked apple pastry, red berries, and peach Melba.

Unmistakably luxurious, this is not of the lean and clean school, but stands as the regional benchmark for big, rich, toasty Champagne that’s all about depth, breadth, and full-bodied power. “You can’t help but fall in love with it,” Wine Access resident Master of Wine Vanessa Conlin said, before noting, “I really need to buy more.”

The critical consensus attests to the excitement this bottling has produced. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate called it “elegantly muscular and concentrated” and Burghound’s Allen Meadows recommended it as “a lovely NV Brut that offers notably better depth than is typical for the genre.”

Typical sale prices are upwards of $70. We have it for a song, especially for an iconic house’s standard-bearer. Champagne lovers should make a beeline for this, and serve it with a medium-rare ribeye for the ultimate in luxurious pairings.

The Philipponnat family has been cultivating grapes in this magical region since 1522—theirs is one of the last houses to be operated by the same family that founded it. In the 16th century, they were a supplier to the court of Louis XIV and the Royal Mayors in the town of Aÿ.

Today, Charles Philipponnat runs the estate, following in the footsteps of his father René, who was chef de cave at Moët in the mid-20th century, crafting legends like the 1961 Dom Pérignon. Under Charles, the estate has undergone a fascinating renaissance, cleaving at once to tradition and the most rigorous modern standards. “This has been one of my favorite Champagne sources for many years,” says Burghound’s Meadows.

The NV Royal Réserve is primarily Pinot Noir, blended with Chardonnay and Meunier sourced from the famous Montagne de Reims in the 2014 vintage. Contributing to the wine’s magnificent richness and complexity is about 30% solera-aged reserve wine, in which small amounts of each progressive vintage are combined and folded into non-vintage releases. You get both the deep throughline, stretching through centuries at Philipponnat, as well as the lively freshness of the new harvest.

Tasting this wine at least once is a must-have experience for every sparkling wine connoisseur. Owning a bottle means being able to tap into Champagne history via a trip to your cellar.