Clos des Goisses

Clos des Goisses 2009 (last tasted July 2018) The nose is warm and rich, showing expressive Pinot Noir with notes of ripe peaches, prunes, confitures of plum and cassis, cocoa butter, lanoline, chocolate and armagnac. Swirling the glass, showed smoky notes of fireplace, salty Mont St Michel biscuits, straw and cigar case. The mouthfeel is vinous and full bodied, without losing structure and elegance. On the palate, you first get grilled peaches and apricot, followed by caramel, orange candy, cassis, blueberry and smoked meat on the mid-palate. There is a long finish with candied citrus, peach and deep toasty and yeasty flavors. This is already a beautiful Clos des Goisses to drink now, but the Pinot will only get even more expressive with time, probably resulting in deep chocolate and earthy flavors. Fabulous!
94 points with 95 potential

Clos des Goisses 2008 thé long awaited vintage. The nose is immensely complex, layered and surprisingly tropical: pineapple, pear, rambutan, mangosteen, green cardamom, bergamot orange, a typical tobacco scent, smokiness and chalk minerality. After a while in the glass, you get lovely creamy notes of cold Isigny cream with vanilla and a hint of forest berries. The mouthfeel is powerful while remaining fresh, dynamic and linear. On the palate, you get quince, Earl Grey tea, vague tropical flavors, mild spices, dried berries and vanilla. The finish is packed with layers of acidity (lemon, kumquat, lime, lemongrass) combined with mild spices (nutmeg, baking spices), smoke and toast. It's still a baby, but revealing enormous potential.
94 points with 97 potential

Les Cintres 2008 This Blanc de Noirs has an intense and complex nose of ginger, baked apples, quince, dried rhubarb, chichory root, tonka bean, forest berries and Burgundy wood. The mouthfeel is very rich, deep and vinous supported by an exquisite freshness. On the palate, this wine tastes very Burgundian with rosehip, smoke, earthyness, dark spices, dried blackberries, mature apples. On the mid-palate, we get candied citrus, pear and lemon. The finish is very long, spoiling us with tones of coffee, deep chalk, smoke and toast. When you use the very best of a vineyard then it doesn't come as a surprise that the result is an exceptional wine.
94 points with 96 potential

Clos des Goisses Juste Rosé 2007 (last tasted July 2018) This rosé has a very light copper color. The nose is warm and inviting with dried fruits (like cherry, peach and orange), tobacco and hints of tamarind and maracuja. After a while in the glass, you get old balsamico, parmesan, warm yeasty overtones, smoky notes and a haze of armagnac. The wine is creamy with mineral tension. On the palate, you get red cherry, raspberry, hazelnut, crunchy pastry a hint of nougat with honey and citrus fruits on the mid-palate. The finish is very long. It breathes sour cherry, grapefruit, tobacco and toast. All of this is supported by a complex minerality and smoky flavors that reverberate for a very long time. Fantastic to drink now, but can age a few more years..
94 points with 95 potential

Clos des Goisses 2007 - (Last tasted January 2018) - The wine has a lovely golden color with a fine effervescence. The nose is warm and inviting with hints of veal stock, mushrooms, soy sauce, dried flowers and woody spices. The mouthfeel is rich and vinous. The palate is already showing crème brulée, cognac and has unusual umami notes of mushroom sauce. On the mid palate the Pinot Noir is really shining with dark cherry, bramble and old apple. The finish is very long with tobacco, candied citrus, tamarind and honey. Although it is very dark and masculine in style, there is a lovely balanced acidity with enough freshness and structure. This wine pairs wonderfully with steak. The umami character, acidity and the fat create an explosion of harmonious flavors in your mouth.
94 points

Clos des Goisses Juste Rosé 2006 - (Last tasted January 2018) - This champagne has an elegant light copper, rose petal color with a very fine effervescence. The nose captivates with papaya, pomegranate, smoked pepper, blackberry, bergamot, forest strawberry, rosehip and mild toast. The mouthfeel is elegant, slightly vinous and a little bit tannic. On the palate, you find the same red fruits combined with candied orange, dried shallots, rose peppercorns, smoke and speculoos spices. The wine is remarkably well-balanced with a prolonged finish of tangerine, redcurrant, juniper berry and mild toast. This rosé champagne pairs wonderfully with pulled duck.
93 points

Clos des Goisses 2003 - (Last tasted October 2015) - The wine appeals with its golden color, refined effervescence and fat tears on the glass. In the nose you get dried apricot, brambleberry, flambeed pineapple, warm nougat and a haze of roasted coffee. After swirling the glass, we are spoiled by an intensely refined Chardonnay, reminding me of a top Montrachet. The mouthfeel is velvety with a creamy attack. Then, white cherries, soft mocha, dried apricot, smoke, honey and mild spices find their way to the palate. Ending with a very long finish of nougat, apricot, nectarine, dried pineapple and white pepper. This wine offers a profound minerality, which is very rare for the vintage. Personally, I like it even more than the Krug 2003, but ssssht, don’t tell anyone.
95 points

Clos des Goisses 2001 - (Last tasted November 2016) - The wine has a deep golden color with an elegant effervescence and nice tears on the glass. This is a dark, robust, powerful wine with a nose of musk, dried beef, baked apple, cognac, cigar smoke, dried porcini mushrooms, fenugreek, pumpernikel bread and grilled lemon. The champagne starts off intensely mineral with touches of clay and sea breeze. However, after some time in the glass, it reveals honey, old balsamico, caramel and marmite. The mouthfeel is bold and vinous. It has a lovely thick, fleshy fruit quality to it. On the palate, you discover a very expressively matured and honeyed Chardonnay: peach, toffee, milk chocolate and - unlike what the nose suggests - refined yeasts. The finish is long and toasty with an incredibly high acidity of lemon and gooseberry. I would give this wine at least another 10 years. This wine breathes energy. I have never had so much tension and complexity in a 2001. Most 2001s tend to lack structure and show a rather unpleasant acidity. This could very well be this vintage's best champagne.
93 points with 95 potential

Clos des Goisses 1998 - (Last tasted February 2018) - This is it, the wine that lit my passion for Clos de Goisses. The nose is very profound, austere and earthy. Truffle, marmite yeast, lovage, toasted hazelnuts, floral coffee, charred citrus; it's all there! It almost seems like the fruit was surpressed by the empyreumatic aromas. After a longer while in the glass, it shows stewed pears and Mirabel plums. The mouthfeel is vinous. The palate reminds me of a Bollinger R.D. 2002: dark spices, almost like an Indian curry backed-up by prunes, chestnut, toasted hazelnuts and deep chalk vain. The finish still projects a lot of acidity, but lacks a bit in fruit. The champagne has reached (and nearly passed) its peak. I would love to taste a 1998 L.V. version!
92 points

Clos des Goisses 1996 - (Last tasted January 2018) - Vintage 1996 is a legendary year for champagne. This champagne shows an intense and luminous golden color with a refined, elegant effervescence. In the nose, you get distinguished and layered aromas of an old Armagnac, candied lemon, roasted hazelnuts, orange blossom, asafoetida, fenugreek, straw, chestnut honey, smoke and oxidative overtones with deep supported by a dark, chalky minerality. After some time in the glass, aromas evolve towards expressive toast and cigar spices. The mouthfeel is very intense, dynamic and rich. The wine is very vinous, but remains crisp with a perfect mousse and tantalizing effervescence. The palate reminds of crème brûlée, quince paste, deep Armagnac, toffee, white truffle. On the mid-palate, we find complex spices with saline notes. The finish is immense: an acidity of citrus, pith fruits and apple - like a ballerina dancing on your tongue - embraced by warm spices, like lovage, fenugreek and fried onions. This is what champagne is all about!
96 points

Clos des Goisses 1995 - (Last tasted November 2016) - This champagne got an earlier disgorgement than average. It has a rich and mature nose of honeycomb, wax, lemon curd, walnuts, blueberry liqueur, cornflowers and a hint of absinthe. The mouthfeel is unctuous but still precise. On the palate you taste honey, lemon, dried mushrooms, toasted brioche and a hint of Fino sherry. The finish is long with woody spices, cigar and surprisingly linear citrus acidity.
94 points

Clos des Goisses 1995, L.V. - (last tasted May 2015)- This wine has a sensual nose of almond oil, red apple, lemon confit with salt, juicy pear, chamomile, lillies and very mild mineral notes. After some time in the glass it starts breathing butterscotch, cocoa butter, crusty baguette and a touch of mild cigar box. We get a polished wine without any sign of oxidation. On the palate, we distinguish toasted almond, pear, baked apple, toffee, blueberry, dried quince and a hint of chocolate. On the mid- palate, there is marzipan and honey. The acidity is round with a long finish of apple, candied lemon and delicate woody spices.
93 points

Clos des Goisses 1992 - (Last tasted September 2014) In the nose you get tamarind, passion fruit, mango, hazelnut, brioche, roasted apples, mushrooms and foliage. After a long time in the glas, aromas evolve to cigar smoke and the luxurious creaminess of an old Meursault. Not surprisingly, we get a very Burgundian, almost greasy mouthfeel. On the palate, we find tangerine, sweet grapefruit, preserved fruit (without being syrupy), hazelnut cream, vanilla and smoke. The wine has a very long finish with yellow fruits, toasted brioche. The whole is beautifully rounded and in perfect harmony. Together with the 1996, this is my favorite Clos des Goisses vintage.
96 points

Clos des Goisses 1991 - (Last tasted May 2016) In the past, I had some misfortune with corked bottles from this vintage, but last year I got lucky. The wine indulges with a complex nose of mango, petrol, cumin seeds, saffron, lovage, dried artichokes, smoke and a hint of caramel and toffee with a haze of Armagnac and earthy tones. On the palate, you get lots of tropical fruits, cream and Sauternes-like nectar. The vintage is very straightforward and powerful, maybe lacking a tad of elegance. There’s quite some alcohol warmth probably enhanced by the (very) high, yet perfectly integrated acidity. If I had tasted this wine blind, I would have pinned it down as a vintage 1990.
92 points