2015 Champagne Philipponnat Clos Des Goisses, Vallee de la Marne

 (Disg. March 2024) 

“The 2015 Extra-Brut Clos des Goisses is a powerful, resonant wine, just as it was last year. In 2015, all of the lots were vinified in oak, which lends notable textural resonance and poise. Pear, spicecake, ginger, dried flowers and a kiss of oak are all dialed up. There is an underlying vegetal note lurking beneath, typical of the year, but it's nicely integrated. The long finish is striking. The 2015 opens beautifully with air, gaining in both precision and tension. Dosage is 4.5 grams per liter. Disgorged: March 2024.”

96 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous

“Surpassing the 2010, the 2015 Extra-Brut Clos des Goisses is gorgeous, evoking aromas of pear, mirabelle, spices, honey, brioche and perfectly ripe orchard fruits intertwined with delicate notes of iodine. Full-bodied, vinous and concentrated, it's layered and dense with remarkable depth at the core combined with racy acids and a structured, perfectly balanced mid-palate. Slightly austere at this stage, it finishes long and sappy with a licorice-inflected aftertaste. This blend of 78% Pinot Noir and 22% Chardonnay, disgorged in March 2024 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter, did not undergo malolactic fermentation. Readers eager to experience this superb Champagne at its peak should be patient.”

97+ points, Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate

“This is very fine and crystalline with powerful lemon and cherry fruit. Such power here: bright with lemon and mandarin, showing great precision. This wine has a real dynamic range to it, with a touch of toastiness alongside the finely structured cherry and lemon notes. This needs time but already shows its potential.”

97 points, Jamie Goode Wine Anorak

78% Pinot Noir, 22% Chardonnay. The majestic 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 region’s first to be bottled as a single-vineyard wine. With a focus on precise viticulture, old mass-selection vines, moderate yields and ripe fruit at harvest, the wine has never been better.

The slope on this, the so-called Mont de Mareuil, is relatively steep, at between 30 and 45 degrees. The vineyard's altitude climbs from 85 to 130 metres, facing the midday sun and basking in the reflected glory of the River Marne at its foot. The Clos des Goisses' extremely chalky soils, aspect 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.