Philipponnat : Clos des Goisses Juste Rosé 2012

This has pretty aromas of apple skins, strawberries, white pepper, hazelnuts, honeycomb, cinnamon stick and apricot compote. Open and silky, with very fine, soft bubbles, yet a firmness and phenolic tightness to it. Refined. 68% pinot noir and 32% chardonnay. Disgorged March 2022. Only 2255 bottles. Drink now or hold.

In the past I've been almost tempted to categorise this as a white, not pink, champagne but this blend of white wine and rosé de saignée (no maceration – they don't want tannin) is slightly darker than usual so very pale pink as opposed to slightly pinkish white. 68% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay. All base wine was fermented in oak. No malo. Dosage 4.5 g/l. The first vintage of this cuvée was 1999 and it's made every three years or so. 2009 was the last one. Fewer than 3,000 bottles made. Very dense and deep-flavoured yet this tastes seriously fresh – a combination of the intensity of the terroir and the high natural acidity unmitigated by malolactic conversion. (JR)

The 2012 Extra-Brut Clos des Goisses Juste Rosé is a wild, exotic wine. Kirsch, white pepper, flowers, mint and cranberry lend a gorgeous air of exoticism. As always, the Rosé is light in body, gracious and all finesse. The blend is 68% Pinot Noir and 32% Chardonnay. This is the first release made with a blend based essentially on a Blanc de Noirs, with the ‘still red’ portion (18%) coming from a saignée. Time in the glass brings out the breadth and natural texture of the year. This is a gorgeous Rosé from Philipponnat. Disgorged: March, 2022.

The 2012 Champagne Clos de Goisses Juste Extra Brut Rosé has 8–10% of still wine added to the base. The color is a pale salmon hue, and the wine is pretty, with a perfume of apricot, raspberry, spice box, and delicate smoke. It is full and satin-like in texture, with a fine mousse that coats the palate, and its underlying energy lifts its bouquet through a lasting finish. This is an exceptional wine to drink 2024–2044.

The just-released 2012 Extra-Brut Clos des Goisses Juste Rosé shares the vinous, textural profile of the regular Clos des Goisses in this vintage, offering up aromas of mirabelle plum, crisp orchard fruits, white flowers, frangipane and papaya. Full-bodied, broad and fleshy, it's a rich, muscular Champagne of considerable depth and persistence.