Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2012
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Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Bright gold, fine effervescence forming a persistent bead. Elegant and fruity with notes of raspberry and raspberry eau-de-vie. The finish is delicious with notes of praline, frangipane, sponge cake and pastry cream. The attack is fresh and pure. The mouth is very elegant and expresses slightly mentholated notes. The finish is long and mineral. Excellent vintage, more intense and aromatic than 2008. Slightly less acidic but probably more balanced.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This single vineyard, one of the steepest in Champagne, produces fabulous wines. Richness restrained by the minerality from the terroir is balanced by structured Pinot Noir fruits that bring touches of toast, spice and white fruits. Drink through 2025 at least.
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James Suckling
Aromas of bread dough, mandarin, strawberry, raspberry and light dry earth follow through to a full body with lightly candied fruit, phenolic tension and a clear, bright finish. Mineral. Pure. Dry and layered at the end with a note of chalk. No malo. 61% pinot noir and 39% chardonnay.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2012 Champagne Clos de Goisses is true to character and is the most opulent and decadent expression. It is flush with a generous perfume and liqueur, with ripe apricot brûlée, toasted brioche, raspberry eau de vie, and saline. The palate is round and full, though light on its feet, with kirsch and a chalky texture. Its salinity makes up for the more modest acidity and contributes to a compelling and savory wine. Best after 2022. Rating: 97+
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Decanter
A wonderful nose blending a wonderful combination of fruit and sweet patisserie elements - lemon, apple, grapefruit and pear with buttery biscuit and roasted hazelnut notes. The palate is strikingly bright filled with textured, lively and persistent bubbles underpinned by balanced acidity and depth of flavour overall. A really well-constructed Champagne from the acclaimed 2012 vintage giving body, weight, precision and drive with a long length. Each sip is so satisfying. Disgorged in April 2021 after eight years on the lees, 60% aged in Burgundy barrels and 40% in stainless steel. A dosage of 4.5g/l which is the same for every Clos des Goisses. This, alongside with the 1996 vintage are new to the Place de Bordeaux this year with Philipponnat the first Champagne house to use the distribution network.
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The Philipponnat family have been growing grapes in Champagne since 1522. The House was founded in 1910 by Pierre Philipponnat. Charles Philipponnat took over as CEO in 1999 and has improved the quality and production vastly by implementing smaller oak barrels, keeping different vineyard plots separate and utilizing only the first press. The jewel in the crown of the House is the historic and iconic 5.5 hectares 'Clos des Goisses' vineyard that sits on a steep, south-facing 45° slope starting at the Marne River. This is one of the warmest vineyard sites in all of Champagne and is planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In 1935 'Clos des Goisses' was the first single vineyard Champagne produced and it would take over 50 years for other Houses to start producing serious Champagne just from a single Clos.
Philipponnat applies natural methods to work the soil, hoeing by hand and plowing with horses. The House's expertise is particularly apparent in its use of the solera process. This technique is a very longstanding House tradition; it consists of keeping reserve wines in oak barrels and including them in non-vintage blends (in a proportion of one quarter to one third) and using this blend as a reserve wine for the following blend.
This progressive dilution allows every bottle to retain a trace of previous years' wines blended since the very beginning. Successive Cellar Masters have attached great importance to handing down this expertise. Philipponnat was the first Champagne House to indicate the main year used in its non-vintage blends, the dosage, and the date of disgorgement on back labels, informing consumers and wine experts of the characteristics of each cuvée.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’