97 Points: Invest In Extremely Rare 2010 Philipponnat Les Cintres

Single Vineyard Champagne. Microscopic Quantities. Great Storage Potential.

A simple recipe for wine investment with great potential can be found in the three characteristics above. This article will focus on the 2010 Philipponnat Les Cintres, which in addition to being a world-renowned, well-established quality brand, is also characterized by their more than minimal production on their top Champagnes. Read much more about the potential of this single field Champagne below.   

Growing Interest In Exceptional Champagnes: 2010 Philipponnat Les Cintres

Philipponnat's wine history dates back to the 16th century, when the family supplied wine to the court of Louis XIV. Furthermore, the company's cellars from the 18th century have been part of the historic Château de Mareuil. For almost 500 years, the Philipponnat family has thus made its mark in the Champagne region, where proud traditions have been handed down through generations.   

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in wines from single vineyard sites in Champagne and even more so from single parcels that are capable of something truly exceptional. For Philipponnat this is not unique, having produced the single vineyard Champagne Clos des Goisses since 1935. This 5.5 hectare parcel is enclosed by a stone wall on a steep slope in Mareuil sur Ay.    

Today, most people know Champagne Philipponnat, which was founded in 1910 by Pierre Philipponnat. Today, Charles Philipponnat is behind the renowned Champagne house, which only produces in the region of 650,000 bottles annually across their product portfolio. A quantity that sounds like a lot, but which is only a drop in the ocean, compared to their colleagues' productions of millions after millions of bottles.

Extremely Rare Les Cintres From Clos Des Goisses

Clos de Goisses is one of the oldest vineyards in the Champagne region, and one of the steepest with a slope of up to 45 degrees. This gives it perfect exposure to the sun, which is why the Champagnes from here are both intense and bombastic, and have perfect storage and development potential.   

If Clos de Goisses’s annual production of approximately 30,000 bottles is minimal, the volume of Les Cintres' annual production is microscopic. The 2010 Philipponnat Les Cintres is produced in only 1,391 bottles, making the possibility of acquiring them almost unattainable.   

Les Cintres are produced in only four vintages in very small quantities: 2006 (unknown number of bottles), 2008 (2,187 bottles), 2009 (2,461 bottles) and and 2010 (1,391 bottles).  

So although previous vintages have been produced in minimal quantities, 2010 is the smallest with almost 1,000 fewer bottles than its predecessors.

Blanc De Noir From Les Cintres And Krug Clos d'Ambonnay

Les Cintres is the latest Blanc de Noir from Philipponnat, where perhaps with inspiration of Krug’s Clos d'Ambonnay they make a wine from their best pinot noir. This parcel is located on the highest point in the middle of Clos des Goisses, where the grapes reach optimal ripeness.     

Krug's most expensive single vineyard Champagne come from the legendary Clos d'Ambonnay. Like Les Cintres, it is a Blanc de Noir, so it is hard not to draw some parallels. Five vintages of Clos d'Ambonnay have been released at around 5,000 bottles per vintage. A 2002 Clos d'Ambonnay currently costs around € 2,400 per bottle.     

The price of Les Cintres does not come close to Krugs Clos d'Ambonnay, but the offer is much smaller and more exclusive. Two very exciting properties for the Champagne investor. 

Rarewine Invest's Opinion

It is not hard to spot the investment potential in 2010 Philipponnat Les Cintres. Here we are dealing with a sublime Champagne whose production is so small that it is almost impossible to acquire quantities suitable for investment. Except for right now.     

In addition, the 2010 Philipponnat Les Cintres is awarded 97 points by Richard Juhlin, which underlines the quality of this vintage. Add here that parallels to Krug's outstanding Blanc de Noir Clos d'Ambonnay, also described as Champagne's Romanée-Conti, cannot be avoided. Les Cintres, however, presents a much smaller production at a fraction of the price.   

Did we mention that only 1,391 bottles were produced? We recommend snapping it up if you want to add micro-produced Champagne to your portfolio. Availability on the open market is extremely limited, for good reason.