The 2009 Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs Les Cintres hails from lieux-dits Les Grands Cintres and Les Petits Cintres in the steep, south-facing part of the Clos des Goisses which is characterized by the thinnest, reddest soils in the vineyard and where the house's oldest vines are planted. Amazingly, the 2009 attained 13.5% alcohol, the highest numbers recorded chez Philipponnat since 1959. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of warm bread, fresh peach, mango and yeast extract, it's full-bodied, thickly textural and vinous, with lively acids—Philipponnat opting to block malolactic fermentation—and a deep, multidimensional core, concluding with a long and powerful finish. This is a broad-shouldered, authoritative wine that may disconcert by virtue of its sheer scale, but it is a potential legend in the making.

The 2009 Les Cintres, from the warmest part of Clos des Goisses, is powerful, ample and creamy, with all of the radiance of 2009 on display. Impeccable in its balance, with better integration of oak than the 2008, the 2009 is hugely promising. That said, readers need to be patient, as the 2009 is in no mood to show all of its cards today. Lemon confit, mint and flowers, along with light tropical overtones, emerge over time, but only with great reluctance. Dosage is 4.5 grams per liter. Disgorged: March, 2019.

One of the three single-parcel Pinot Noirs they started making in 2006. One in each of Mareuil, Aÿ, and the steepest, oldest part of Clos des Goisses, which this is. Disgorged March 2019. Michel Bettane apparently suggested a red wine from the central part of Clos des Goisses. This is the result. The usual potential alcohol is >12%! Dosage 4.5 g/l. Very floral, rich and intense. Kerpow! Very dramatic. So rich. (JR)