Philipponnat Clos des Goisses Extra Brut 2014 (750ML)

98 DB / 97 DE / 96 WI / 95 JA

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. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

The 2014 Clos des Goisses, 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay, is Extra Brut at 4.5 g/L dosage and was disgorged in March 2023. It needs a little coaxing to bring out delicate scents of wet pebbles, lime blossom, and green apples plus emerging wafts of Marcona almonds, yuzu, and baking bread. Light-bodied and very dry, the palate is super-fine and delicately crafted, with a lively backbone supporting the intense flavors, finishing long and minerally. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

The kind of dry that in Champagne puts the emphasis on all the right places - salt-scraping, pure citrus, quince, gooseberry and lemon grass, with chalky persistency, relaxing through the mid palate to show brioche, almonds, candied ginger, graphite, concentrated and scintillating, so good. Another cool vintage in Champagne that here puts the emphasis on finesse, but with higher yield than the 2013, all perfectly handled by the legendary 5ha of Clos des Goisses walled vineyard that is located on the slopes of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Thierry Garnier cellar master. 60% aged in Burgundy barrels, 40% in stainless steel tanks, no malo, 4.5g/l dosage. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux