Philipponnat Clos des Goisses Extra Brut L.V. 1997 (750ML)

98 JS / 98 DE / 97 JA / 17.5 JR

This has an enticing nose of pastries, apricots, raspberries, rhubarb, baklava and manuka honey. Lemon curd, mushrooms and marmalade, too. Opens up beautifully, rich yet fresh and vibrant, with tight and energetic bubbles. Late release. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

Gorgeous nutty nose, dark golden in colour but completely belying the freshness and racy energy within the glass. Buttery brioche notes with lemon patisserie, hazelnuts and candied lemons but also bitter fruit rind aromas too, so much going on but so precise and crystalline at the same time. So much life to this, zingy and upfront, totally thrilling and you'd never guess it was from 1997. It's not succulent but totally mouthwatering, giving the acidity still but remaining quite focussed and direct. I love the slightly baked patisserie edges and soft hints of buttery toast. Just wonderfully exhilarating drinking this, totally wows on the palate with a clarity that is so moreish. It's extremely uplifting with such a sense that there's something very special in the glass. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

25 years after vintage, disgorged at the same time as the (not dissimilar in spirit) 2013, and at this point you can expect a slight softening in the pressure of the mousse, and a whole heap of extra truffle, creme patisserie, brioche and wax flavours. After so long on the lees, you might also get a touch of marmite reduction at first, so I would give it a short carafe before drinking - basically just decant for 5 minutes and then straight out into your glass. As it opens, you get waves of aromatic herbs, angelica-liqourice, touch of honeysuckle, frangipane, soot, cold ash, grilled almond, even rancio oxidative notes on the finish. An October harvest which is extremely late for Champagne, this has decades ahead of it. Today's winemaker Thierry Garnier was already there, but chef de cave was Norbert Thiebert. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

A current release made before Charles Philipponnat took over. He observed that he would have picked the grapes slightly riper and fermented them slightly warmer, adding 'but it's still very good now', proving that Clos des Goisses can transcend vintage and vinification.
Still extremely tense and racy with a note of ginger. A little shorter than the Clos des Goisses bottlings but really full and broad on the mid palate. Well done! - Jancis Robinson