The 2014 Clos des Goisses shows a delicate, floral nose, with notes of yellow fruit, mirabelle plum and acacia blossom. The palate is fruit-driven and very expressive with an enveloping texture. It displays notes of fresh fruit, honey, candied orange peel and yellow flowers that all meld wonderfully together. Time in the glass brings out more lifted, mineral notes that add to the wine’s overall appeal. It is already drinking wonderfully but shows great aging potential for many years to come.

This is fresh and lively, clearly still closed from its recent disgorgement, yet it shows a vibrant depth of flavour and a sophisticated interplay between the fruit and chalky minerality. While it contains an unusually high proportion of Pinot Noir at 71%, it seems to reflect its Chardonnay at the moment, in its youthful notes of Asian pear, fresh apricot and lemony citrus. The finish is long and finely tuned, anchored and infused by that chalky intensity. Disgorged: March 2023.

Made from 71% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, the 2014 Champagne Clos des Goisses Extra Brut takes on a very pretty and floral profile. Pouring a bright straw hue, it’s lifted with the perfume of cherry blossoms, wet stone, fresh berries, and sweet brioche. Full-bodied, though more linear compared to the 2013 vintage, it’s highlighted by a refined, chalky texture with a pillowy mousse, building to a ripe and rounded mid-palate and a long, elegant finish with a flourish of white pepper spice. Though it’s certainly not the most powerful vintage for the vineyard, it’s very attractive. It will benefit from another couple of years and continue to improve over the next two decades. Disgorged in March of 2023, with 4.5 grams per liter dosage.

The kind of dry that in Champagne puts the emphasis on all the right places - salt-scraping, pure citrus, quince, gooseberry and lemon grass, with chalky persistency, relaxing through the mid palate to show brioche, almonds, candied ginger, graphite, concentrated and scintillating, so good. Another cool vintage in Champagne that here puts the emphasis on finesse, but with higher yield than the 2013, all perfectly handled by the legendary 5ha of Clos des Goisses walled vineyard that is located on the slopes of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Thierry Garnier cellar master. 60% aged in Burgundy barrels, 40% in stainless steel tanks, no malo, 4.5g/l dosage.

The 2014 Extra-Brut Clos des Goisses, the latest rendition from this walled vineyard, reveals a fresh, energetic character with aromas of pear, peach, licorice, spices, white fruits, spring flowers and menthol. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and chiseled, this is a structured, tension-filled but ethereal Champagne with high acidity, sign of a cool-weather vintage. Although already thoroughly enjoyable, it should age well over the next 10 years. This is a blend of 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay, disgorged with 4.25 grams per liter dosage.

71% Pinot Noir, 29% Chardonnay. Probably Champagne’s most famous single vineyard, measuring 5.83 ha. Chalky bedrock, steep slopes and a prime southerly aspect. 64% aged in wood with no malolactic conversion. 8 years’ ageing on the lees. Disgorged March 2023. Dosage 4.25 g/l. Luxurious and luscious, plump stone-fruit flavours with white flowers on the nose. A touch of honey and spice. Extremely complex – still very early to be approaching this, but super-fine already. (AWH)