Winemaker Notes
Bright gold, with fine, delicate froth mousse. Initially the nose is very expressive and complex, with spicy, toasted notes of chili and pepper. On being aerated it reveals fruit-laden aromas of Morello, Amarena and black cherries. Fresh and mineral-driven. The fruity notes of Morello cherry and spices are apparent on the finish. An intense, well-structured wine with a wonderfully long finish.
Clos des Goisses is a very fine wine before being a very fine champagne. A perfect and unforgettable match for strong-flavoured dishes such as game, truffles, caviar and soft cheeses. When young, it is an equally good match with shellfish and white meats. Young bottles will often benefit from being decanted into a carafe.
Blend: 61% Pinot Noir and 39% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Philipponnat’s 2009 Clos des Goisses, disgorged in March 2022 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter, stands out as one of the most successful releases in recent memory. It opens with a deep bouquet of ripe pear, peach and early-blooming white flowers, mingling with nuances of red berry fruit. On the palate, it is full-bodied, profound and textural, supported by a racy spine of acidity and culminating in a long, sapid finish. While 2009 may have once seemed a warm, solar vintage, it no longer appears that extreme when considered alongside the increasingly warm years Champagne has experienced in more recent times. Reaching 12.8% alcohol, the wine exhibits a more elegant and harmonious profile compared to the drier, warmer 2015 and the riper, slightly more precocious 2012. The blend consists of 61% Pinot Noir and 39% Chardonnay, with approximately 37% of the wine vinified in oak.
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James Suckling
Super complex and rich, this smells regal with toasted brioche and praline, as well as preserved-lemon, fresh-fig and biscuity notes. The palate is full and round with a chalky core that delivers a long, dry and powerful finish.
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Wine Spectator
The flavors of cassis, candied lemon zest, anise and toast point show lovely juiciness in this vibrant Champagne, with pleasing delicacy to the finely knit mousse, crisp acidity and chalk-tinged finish. Elegant. Drink now through 2029.
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Decanter
A rich gold with a magisterial bead. Aromas of bergamot, verbena and hints of beeswax, the oak is still persuasive in this relatively youthful state. The ripeness of the year is captured on the palate with more exotic descriptors recalling papaya, mango and peach. The finish is powerful and spicy yet also taut and precise; a carafe would not be out of place for such a serious wine.
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.’