Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2008

Description

“Clos des Goisses has always been one of the most extraordinary jewels in Champagne’s crown.” Tom Stevenson, The World of Fine Wine, Issue 20, 2008
As Peter Liem has written in Champagne (Mitchell Beazley, 2017), Philipponnat’s Clos de Goisses is “…a wine of intense minerality, a pure essence of Champagne’s chalk allied with ripe, vivid fruit flavours. It is arguably the single greatest vineyard site in Champagne…” The Clos des Goisses vineyard rises steeply from the edge of the Marne river and is planted to 3.5 hectares of Pinot Noir and two hectares of Chardonnay. This historically revered, south-facing slope was the first in the region to be bottled as a single vineyard wine. Today, with a focus on precise viticulture, old massale vines, moderate yields and ripe fruit at harvest time, the wine has never been better. The aspect of the Clos des Goisses, its extremely chalky soils and atypical warmth—the average growing season temperature here is 1.5°C higher than most of Champagne—result in one of Champagne’s most powerful and intense wines.

In his book, Champagne Peter Liem goes on to say, “From a top vintage, Clos des Goisses is one of the most exciting experiences that champagne can offer.” Well, 2008 is nothing if not a top, top vintage. It’s interesting to note that the 2008 is an atypical Chardonnay dominant blend for this wine, and you can’t miss the higher voltage that this brings to the blend. Perhaps what’s most notable for us lovers of great grower wines, is the purity and depth of ripe fruit on offer. It isn’t cheap, but it is profound.

From a great vintage, and following some eight years on lees, the 2008 is a classic and profound Clos des Goisses. It’s a powerful, tightly-wound and structured Champagne, with serious depth of fruit that will become more and more hedonistic the longer the wine rests on cork. For now be sure to serve the wine in a proper wine glass,  ideally not too cold and don’t be scared to decant. In short, treat it like a great white wine – that is, after all, what it is! The blend is unusual this year as it is Chardonnay dominant – from a Pinot dominant vineyard – the Clos des Goisses regularly weighs in at around 65% Pinot. This year’s blend gives a racier, crunchy chalky structure to the wine, but it still has the classic Goisses richness and depth of fruit to go with this mineral structure. Ideally, it would go into the cellar for 1 – 5 years but anyone drinking it now will not be disappointed, especially if they heed the advice above. It is also a serious food wine and able to stand up to a wide range of dishes including hard cheeses, pâtés, terrines, sausages and any white meat dish (but especially those that are pork based).

45% Pinot Noir and 55% Chardonnay. Traditional, vinification for 75% of the wine in wooden barrels and the balance in tank. There is no malolactic fermentation. Bottle ageing on lees for over eight years at a constant temperature of 12°C, in the house’s historic cellars in Mareuil-sur- Aÿ.  Extra Brut (4.25 g/litre) gives full expression to the vinosity and minerality of this exceptional vineyard.

95-98 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous “A wine of explosive power and energy, the 2008 Clos des Goisses is magnificent. A host of citrus, white flower, lemon confit and orchard fruit overtones race across the palate in a Goisses of striking precision, delineation and tension. The bright flavor profile is very Chardonnay-dominant at this early stage, while the weight and textural depth of the Pinot is especially evident on the mid-palate and finish. I tasted the 2008 from a bottle in disgorgement trials, so my rating is therefore in parentheses. If the commercial wine is anything like this bottle, readers will be in for a treat, as the 2008 Goisses is shaping up to be a magical Champagne.” 

RRP $510   *Extremely rare and limited!*