1999 Champagne Philipponnat Clos Des Goisses L.V., Vallee de la Marne

Disgorged: March 2024

The 1999 Extra-Brut Clos des Goisses L.V. is stunning. A Champagne of soaring intensity and pedigree, the 1999 is simply magnificent. Citrus, marzipan, chamomile, baked apple tart and yellow flowers open effortlessly. The 1999 is a timeless wine. It shows some signs of age and yet remains wonderfully fresh. Its purity and finesse are just remarkable. I can't wait to taste it in finished form. Tasted à la volée, with no dosage.

95-97 points Antonio Galloni vinouscom Tasted March 2024

A blend of 59% Pinot Noir and 41% Chardonnay, the 1999 Extra Brut Clos des Goisses L.V. reveals a complex, spicy bouquet of jasmine, flowers, smoke, guava, honey, confit orange and exotic fruit. Muscular, concentrated and beautifully tannic, it's full-bodied and has a vinous, structured mid-palate and crystalline texture, concluding with a long, toasty, pure and saline finish. This elegant, refined Champagne is the first vintage blended by Charles Philipponnat. Disgorged in March 2024 with 4.5 grams per liter dosage.

96 points Yohan Castaing robertparker.com

LV stands for Long Vieillissement, and this wine spent 24 years on lees, released 25 years after harvest. 1999 was a cool, old-fashioned vintage with high yields of healthy grapes. ‘The good vintages in the long run,’ says Charles, ‘are not the most intense vintages: they are the purest vintages.’ Of this wine, which was disgorged in March 2024, he says, it is still quite reductive and will be showing its best in two years’ time. Complex, detailed and fresh with some red cherry and fresh mushroom and porcini notes. Very fine with subtle toastiness and a nice acid line. Crystalline in quality.

95 points Jamie Goode Wine Anorak

59% Pinot Noir and 41% Chardonnay. Packaged in a solid oak box. The L.V., or Long Vieillissement, is Philipponnat’s extended-aging project. It is widely accepted that the Clos des Goisses is one of the finest wines in Champagne for aging and needs at least 10 to 15 years to unveil its true majesty. For over two decades, Philipponnat has held back a portion of Clos des Goisses to be released over time. While there have already been some late-disgorged wines released over the years, the L.V. range now formalises a yearly release at the same time as the current vintage. Please note, we are talking about maturation on lees here, with late disgorgement for release. The 1999 L.V. is a blend of 59% Pinot Noir and 41% Chardonnay vinified by Charles Philliponnat himself (in his first year) and aged for a quarter of a century in Philipponnat’s Caveau du Trésor.

The 1999 Philipponnat Clos des Goisses L.V. (Long Vieillissement) is a profound and rare late-disgorged Champagne from one of the region’s most iconic single vineyards. Clos des Goisses is a steep, south-facing slope in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, perched directly above the Marne River, planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on pure chalk. The site is so distinctive it’s bottled separately by Philipponnat every vintage — but the L.V. bottling is something truly special. Held on lees for more than 15 years before disgorgement, it offers extraordinary depth, complexity and texture while retaining the vineyard’s hallmark power and tension.

The 1999 vintage was warm and generous, producing ripe, structured wines across Champagne. For Clos des Goisses L.V., this richness is layered with the savoury detail, umami and creamy finesse that come from two decades of patient ageing. The blend is typically around two-thirds Pinot Noir and one-third Chardonnay, vinified in oak and aged without malolactic fermentation to preserve freshness for the long haul.

In the glass, it shows a deep golden hue with aromas of toasted brioche, roasted hazelnuts, orange peel, dried apricot, honey, truffle and flinty chalk. The palate is rich and expansive, yet focused, with layers of baked citrus, almond cream, white mushroom, iodine and a precise mineral thread. The mousse is fine and persistent, with a long, dry, savoury finish that unfolds in waves.

Food pairing: sublime with lobster thermidor, roast chicken with morels, parmesan and truffle risotto, or aged Comté. Also a perfect match for foie gras, duck with orange glaze, or as a contemplative glass on its own.

Cellar potential: at peak now but will continue to evolve for another 10 to 15 years in ideal cellaring conditions, developing even deeper savoury tones and tertiary complexity.