Champagne appeared by the end of the 17th century, taking its name from its native area.

The leading figure of this prestigious wine, the monk Dom Perignon, combined his observatory and tasting skills to master the fermentation of the grape juice and succeeded in transforming the Champagne wine – which was naturally effervescent – into a clear wine with a persistent froth (around 1660-1668). At that time Champagne was a privilege only enjoyed by the kings of France and some other monarchs. Now it has become the symbol wine for any form of celebration in the world.

Our village RILLY-LA-MONTAGNE lies in the very heart of the Mountain of Reims, between the vine slopes and the Natural Park of the Reims Mountain.
It is one of the most ancient Champagne-producing villages. Its name appeared for the first time in the reign of Charlemagne, when it was part of Saint-Remi Abbey in Reims.

The use of two common presses has been reported even at the Carolingian time.

The village was dominated and ruled by religious organisations until the 1789 French Revolution. Winemakers then gradually became property owners. Rilly-la-Montagne greatly changed in the 19th century with the railway reaching the village. World War I caused great damage to the village and left it in ruins. During World War II, Rilly-la-Montagne was heavily bombed because of the storage of V1 rockets in the railway tunnel.

Then life went on, and so did wine-growing…

As the years went by, Champagne wine expertise has been passed down from generation to generation with an ongoing quest for quality. Thus technology has come close to tradition to enter the 21st century.

Today’s means of communication now enable us to have Champagne known and recognised all over the world.

Four generations followed one another in the village of Rilly-la-Montagne and in the vines…
Everything began with Victor Philbert (1861-1938) who was the first to get involved in the wine movement.
His son Henri (1901-1982) succeeded him and started selling Champagne under the name Champagne Philbert.
Then Claude (1931-1986) carried on with the development of Champagne Philbert and established its credibility.
Now his children, Jérôme and Frédérique, are pleased to welcome you at the estate and to present their Champagne range.