Clos des Goisses, Brut,

Clos des Goisses is a legendary vineyard that has been in the Philipponnat family for almost a century. It is often cited as the original truly great single vineyard Champagne – the one that first proved that Champagne greatness could be achieved without recourse to blending. A fully walled 5.5 hectare vineyard for which the term ‘micro-climate’ could not be more apt, it looms over the Marne river with slopes reaching a vertiginous 45 degrees, surely some of the steepest in all Champagne. The resulting grapes are boosted by the warming effects of the river and the steep, fully south facing slopes, two factors which combined to produce mean vineyard temperatures 1.5-2° higher than rest of Champagne. In the cellar vinification is done primarily in oak barrels without malolactic fermentation, the better to support the naturally powerful nature of the terroir. Ageing sur lie runs to about 10 years, depending on the vintage, and dosage is once again low at around 4g/l. The resultant wines, which tend to amount to around half of the potential production of the vineyard, are magnificent expressions of regal power and animating minerality – in many respects a fine wine before a fine champagne, and a true reflection of the uniqueness of the Goisses terroir.