Clos des Goisses, Brut, 2013

A finely cut vinous gem, the Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2013 Extra Brut is imbued with exceptional finesse owing to the cooler, and later 2013 vintage conditions that allowed a smaller than usual crop from an already low-yielding, old vines Clos to ripen slowly and gain tremendous depth and fruit intensity. The final blend of 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay has a little more Pinot Noir than usual for the Clos cuvée, and a higher than normal 50% was fermented in oak barrel with no malolactic fermentation. With more than a year of post-disgorgement bottle age at the time of tasting, this 2013 shows gorgeous, honeyed aromas that twine around dense stone fruit, pomegranate, butter pastry and lemon oil with an ephemeral chalky note. The full-bodied, similarly honeyed palate is luminous with supple freshness and satiny acid intensity that seamlessly glides through layers of red fruit on to a very crisp, chalk-laced finish. Exceptional. Disgorged in March 2022, it was finished Extra Brut with a 4.5 gram per liter dosage.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2045

date of review 11/2023

Surpassing even the 2012 and 2008, Philipponnat's 2013 Extra-Brut Clos des Goisses looks to be the finest vintage of this cuvee in several decades, at least on first acquaintance. Deriving from only the six core parcels out of the 13 that make up the Clos des Goisses, it's a striking wine, evoking aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, Anjou pear, clear honey, bee pollen, stone fruit and iodine. Full-bodied, layered and vinous, its textural attack segues into a deep, concentrated and tightly wound mid-palate that's girdled by racy acids and chalky structure, before concluding with a long, saline finish. Why is it quite so good? It would appear that 2013 was the perfect storm: an early-ripening terroir in a cool, late vintage; moderately yielding Burgundian selections of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that attained full maturity; and a willingness to make a strict selection have all come together to deliver a profound Clos des Goisses.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2055

date of review 08/2022