Hi-Time's 12 Champagnes of Christmas
Philipponnat's famed Clos des Goisses vineyard in Mareuil-sur- Aÿ is one of the warmest terroirs in the region - and a Champagne icon. Situated on a fully south-facing slope, which varies from 35 to 45 degrees, Clos des Goisses gets sunshine all day without an inch of shade, resulting in ripe grapes in any kind of vintage. But, because the slope is pure chalk, the ripeness is matched with a distinctive mineral character. While hardly cheap, Clos des Goisses Champagnes are consistently superb and often surpass both of Krug's "Clos" bottlings as a fraction of their price. The only thing keeping this Philipponnat gem off of our Christmas lists in the past has been its acute scarcity, so we are very psyched to have finally secured a workable quantity of this wonderfully classic 2014 edition.
98 POINTS TYSON STELZER (THE CHAMPAGNE GUIDE) - "(71% Pinot Noir, 29% Chardonnay; 64% vinified in oak barrels; no malolactic fermentation; disgorged March 2023; 4.5g/L dosage; 19,984 bottles; cork). The rumbling complexity and inimitable magnitude that is Clos des Goisses finds captivating expression in the tension of 2014, the cut of malic acidity and the saline chalk minerality of these impoverished soils. A backdrop of grilled pineapple and fruit mince spice nuanced with the subtle vanilla of barrel fermentation lays out an expansive landscape of incredible depth and grand intrigue. The most coiled and enduring Clos des Goisses since 2008, and the finest, too. (Edition VII; 2024)"
WINE ENTHUSIAST 99 POINTS - "This always-memorable single-vineyard Champagne is dominated by rich Pinot Noir. The vineyard, a steep slope facing the Marne river, has given an intense, concentrated wine that has aged so well. Touches of toast are equaled by the rich fruit and acidity. Drink this great wine now." — Roger Voss
DECANTER MAGAZINE 97 POINTS - " From the 5.83-hectare walled vineyard in a cooler, 'classic' vintage for Champagne, giving this a finessed and charming expression. Baked pastry and soft lemon curd notes on the nose, smells inviting and softly floral - honeysuckle, jasmine, lemon and lime rind with some peach. Juicy and so zesty straight away, bright, mouthwateing, scintillatingly fresh and lively, thrilling even, with tiny persistent bubbles that instantly froth and fill the mouth. Alive and energetic with lemon rind and juice, succulent green apples and strawberries, grapefruit and ginger bitterness with touches of salinity and graphite dotting the finish. This makes you instantly want another glass, but this has structure too and such a long finish. No malolactic fermentation. Dosage 4.5g/l. Made by Charles Philipponnat and Thierry Garnier. - Georgia Hindle, Decanter Magazine
JOHN GILMAN (VIEW FROM THE CELLAR) 96 POINTS - "The 2014 vintage of Philipponnat’s famed “Clos des Goisses” is composed this year from a blend of seventy-one percent Pinot Noir and twenty-nine percent Chardonnay. The wine was disgorged in March of 2023, after eight years aging sur latte and finished with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter. It offers up a beautifully refined and youthfully complex bouquet of white peach, apple, gentle smokiness, a superb base of chalky soil tones, fresh-baked bread, just a whisper of oak and a lovely topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and precise, with a superb core of fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, very elegant mousse and a long, pure and superbly complex finish. The cool vintage characteristics of 2014 are beautifully synthesized with the warm microclimate of Clos des Goisses and this is clearly destined to be one of the great recent vintages of this iconic wine. It starts out life just a touch understated in comparison to recent vintages such as 2012, but this wine has future greatness written in its stars! It is already delicious, but it has more secrets to reveal if given extended bottle aging. 2023-2075. (Jul/Aug 2023)"
Philipponnat's famed Clos des Goisses vineyard in Mareuil-sur- Aÿ is one of the warmest terroirs in the region - and a Champagne icon. Situated on a fully south-facing slope, which varies from 35 to 45 degrees, Clos des Goisses gets sunshine all day without an inch of shade, resulting in ripe grapes in any kind of vintage. But, because the slope is pure chalk, the ripeness is matched with a distinctive mineral character. While hardly cheap, Clos des Goisses Champagnes are consistently superb and often surpass both of Krug's "Clos" bottlings as a fraction of their price. The only thing keeping this Philipponnat gem off of our Christmas lists in the past has been its acute scarcity, so we are very psyched to have finally secured a workable quantity of this wonderfully classic 2014 edition.
98 POINTS TYSON STELZER (THE CHAMPAGNE GUIDE) - "(71% Pinot Noir, 29% Chardonnay; 64% vinified in oak barrels; no malolactic fermentation; disgorged March 2023; 4.5g/L dosage; 19,984 bottles; cork). The rumbling complexity and inimitable magnitude that is Clos des Goisses finds captivating expression in the tension of 2014, the cut of malic acidity and the saline chalk minerality of these impoverished soils. A backdrop of grilled pineapple and fruit mince spice nuanced with the subtle vanilla of barrel fermentation lays out an expansive landscape of incredible depth and grand intrigue. The most coiled and enduring Clos des Goisses since 2008, and the finest, too. (Edition VII; 2024)"
WINE ENTHUSIAST 99 POINTS - "This always-memorable single-vineyard Champagne is dominated by rich Pinot Noir. The vineyard, a steep slope facing the Marne river, has given an intense, concentrated wine that has aged so well. Touches of toast are equaled by the rich fruit and acidity. Drink this great wine now." — Roger Voss
DECANTER MAGAZINE 97 POINTS - " From the 5.83-hectare walled vineyard in a cooler, 'classic' vintage for Champagne, giving this a finessed and charming expression. Baked pastry and soft lemon curd notes on the nose, smells inviting and softly floral - honeysuckle, jasmine, lemon and lime rind with some peach. Juicy and so zesty straight away, bright, mouthwateing, scintillatingly fresh and lively, thrilling even, with tiny persistent bubbles that instantly froth and fill the mouth. Alive and energetic with lemon rind and juice, succulent green apples and strawberries, grapefruit and ginger bitterness with touches of salinity and graphite dotting the finish. This makes you instantly want another glass, but this has structure too and such a long finish. No malolactic fermentation. Dosage 4.5g/l. Made by Charles Philipponnat and Thierry Garnier. - Georgia Hindle, Decanter Magazine
JOHN GILMAN (VIEW FROM THE CELLAR) 96 POINTS - "The 2014 vintage of Philipponnat’s famed “Clos des Goisses” is composed this year from a blend of seventy-one percent Pinot Noir and twenty-nine percent Chardonnay. The wine was disgorged in March of 2023, after eight years aging sur latte and finished with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter. It offers up a beautifully refined and youthfully complex bouquet of white peach, apple, gentle smokiness, a superb base of chalky soil tones, fresh-baked bread, just a whisper of oak and a lovely topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and precise, with a superb core of fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, very elegant mousse and a long, pure and superbly complex finish. The cool vintage characteristics of 2014 are beautifully synthesized with the warm microclimate of Clos des Goisses and this is clearly destined to be one of the great recent vintages of this iconic wine. It starts out life just a touch understated in comparison to recent vintages such as 2012, but this wine has future greatness written in its stars! It is already delicious, but it has more secrets to reveal if given extended bottle aging. 2023-2075. (Jul/Aug 2023)"