2008 Philipponnat Extra Brut Les Cintres
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Tasting notes
Philipponnat's 2008 Les Cintres, 100% Pinot Noir from the most exposed, ripest portion of Clos des Goisses, is just as impressive as it was last year. Creamy, rich and expressive, with stunning depth, the 2008 hits all the right notes. Brioche, baked apple, apricot and a kiss of new French oak are all amped up in this beautifully exotic, totally alluring Champagne. Time in the glass simply allows the wine to grow into its ample frame. The Cintres has a bit more new oak than most of the Philipponnat Champagnes, but that should not be an issue over time. Today, it is flat out stunner.
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Fermented and aged in 100% new oak (with no malolactic fermentation), Philipponnat's 2008 Les Cintres Extra Brut is one of three younger single-plot cuvées. The 2008 is just the second vintage, after 2006. Sourced from the central plots Les Grands Cintres and Les Petits Cintres inside the steep, south-facing part of the Clos des Goisses, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, the 2008 opens with pure, iodine, earthy (turf) and tobacco flavors along with smoky notes. On the palate, this is a pure, round, highly elegant and refined but complex and powerful Pinot Noir with a long, tensioned, very mineral, endless salty finish. Aged for more than nine years in the House’s cellars at a constant temperature of 12 degrees Celsius, this is a fascinating wine with great aging potential! Just 2,198 bottles made. Disgorged in September 2017. Tasted April 2018.
The 2008 Les Cintres is 100% Pinot Noir from one of the best-exposed parcels within the Clos des Goisses. A powerful, explosive wine, the 2008 is endowed with serious intensity in all of its dimensions. Depth, gravitas and structure are the signatures in this embryonic Champagne, a wine that is likely to require quite a bit of time to come into its own.
About the producer
Champagne Philipponnat, an historic family estate that has been cultivating the region for an extraordinary 500 years, has been producing Champagne on the Clos des Goisses site since 1935. Charles Philipponnat is currently at the helm of the Champagne House.