As Peter Liem has written in Champagne (Mitchell Beazley, 2017), Philipponnat’s Clos de Goisses is “…a wine of intense minerality, a pure essence of Champagne’s chalk allied with ripe, vivid fruit flavours. It is arguably the single greatest vineyard site in Champagne…” The Clos des Goisses vineyard rises steeply from the edge of the Marne river and is planted to 3.5 hectares of Pinot Noir and two hectares of Chardonnay. This historically revered, south-facing slope was the first in the region to be bottled as a single vineyard wine. Today, with a focus on precise viticulture, old massale vines, moderate yields and ripe fruit at harvest time, the wine has never been better. The aspect of the Clos des Goisses, its extremely chalky soils and atypical warmth—the average growing season temperature here is 1.5°C higher than most of Champagne—result in one of Champagne’s most powerful and intense wines.

In his book, Champagne Peter Liem goes on to say, “From a top vintage, Clos des Goisses is one of the most exciting experiences that champagne can offer.” Well, 2008 is nothing if not a top, top vintage, and after tasting the wine we knew we had to offer it to our clients. It’s interesting to note that the 2008 is an atypical Chardonnay dominant blend for this wine, and you can’t miss the higher voltage that this brings to the blend. Perhaps what’s most notable for us lovers of great grower wines, is the purity and depth of ripe fruit on offer. It isn’t cheap, but it is profound. For a deeper history of the vineyard and its wines, as well as summary of the wine growing and winemaking, etc. please note the links below.