Philipponnat : Clos des Goisses 2015

An enticing Champagne, with floral, spice and ripe fruit aromas drawing you into the glass. This is finely balanced and mouthwatering, pairing the generosity characteristic of the 2015 vintage with a firm, integrated structure. Flavors of ripe cassis, black cherry, blood orange pâte de fruit, toasted almond, sultana and crystallized honey expand on the satiny palate and through the long, mineral-driven finish. This is a pleasure to sip today, but there’s a long life ahead. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Disgorged March 2024. Drink now through 2045. 1,520 cases made, 75 cases imported.

This has a complex nose of brioche, honey, baked pears, salted plums, walnuts and white chocolate. It’s superbly fine and silky on the palate, with very soft bubbles and bright acidity underpinning the mellow fruit, honey and saline nuances. Dry and elegant, with wonderful freshness from a warm vintage. 78% pinot noir and 22% chardonnay. Disgorged March 2024. 4.5g/L dosage. Drink or hold.

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.

Made from 78% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, the 2015 Champagne Clos Des Goisses Extra Brut is one of the first wines of the cuvée to be 100% barrel fermented, and it also underwent complete malo, as always. Medium straw/golden in color, it’s expressive in the glass with ripe, savory notes of black cherries, sous bois, delicate toast spice, umami tones, and yeasty fresh-baked bread. Full-bodied, it fills the palate with a very long, sapid mid-palate richness, revealing accented notes of grapefruit on the finish. It’s long-lasting and has a kiss of warmth, which is to be expected in this vintage, yet it remains very well balanced, with a noble feel. An exceptional wine from 2015, the team at Philipponnat knocked these 2015s out of the park. This and their other 2015s are likely to develop into great examples of how wines with powerful, rich structures in warm vintages can age without relying solely on acidity to carry the torch. Drink 2027–2047. 18,000 bottles produced. Disgorged in March 2024 and not yet released.

This iconic single vineyard Champagne comes from a steep slope facing south over the Marne river. This new release, still young but full of magnificent potential, is rich with a floral aroma and dense white fruits, striated with minerality. Drink this Champagne ideally from 2026.