Everything about Gosset Grande Reserve speaks of quality, class and a meticulous attention to detail. The heavy, dark antique bottle celebrates the House’s origins in 1584 (the oldest wine house in Champagne) and has been a Gosset exclusive since 1736. Only Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards from a dozen different villages are used to create the blend and the wine rests on its yeast lees for over four and a half years instead of the usual three.
The result is a Champagne of sumptuous flavour and great complexity, married to a vivacious freshness that is the Gosset hallmark. Grande Reserve was France’s Guide Hachette Wine of the Year in 2010, beating 36000 other wines for the prestigious title. Here’s John Gilman, writing in ‘View From The Cellar’, just last month:
‘The bouquet is outstanding (as always), with the influence of plenty of reserve wines in the blend very much in evidence in its mélange of apple, peach, brioche, a beautifully complex base of soil tones, a gentle vein of nuttiness and a nicely smoky top-note. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and absolutely rock solid at the core, with [a] very refined mousse, excellent focus and balance’
Medium to light yellow colour and a very complex biscuity bouquet, reflecting the skilful use of barrels and well-judged aldehydes. Full-bodied, rich and deep, with power and drive but also elegance and length and appetising qualities. A magic wine. 96 points, Huon Hooke
…the consistent standard of this wine remains undeviating… poised lemon zest, nougat and gentle minerality. 94 points, Tyson Stelzer.
…opens with a bouquet of chalk, slate and wet stones. It is a beautifully pointed, energetic wine endowed with gorgeous drive from start to finish. Red berries, dried flowers and mint are some of the nuances that inform the finish. 91 points, Antonio Galloni.
Rich and toasty, with honey and roasted almond notes layered with flavours of baked peach, orange blossom, brioche and pastry cream… harmonious… a refined mousse and bright acidity. 92 points, Wine Spectator.
The Champagne Guide 2020-2021
This is very fresh and has attractively flavorful, punchy fruit presence, in a very pure mode. Strawberries and grapefruit and some pastry and spiced-biscuit to close.
92 points, James Suckling, September 2019.
"This has a sweetly-scented bouquet and a slight grip to close. It is clean, fresh, precise, and dry on the finish, with length and grip, leaving the palate appetised and wanting food. (Minimum 4 years on lees and 6 months on cork)"
92 points, The Real Review (September 2018)
Located 150 km east of Paris, Champagne is the French wine region renowned for producing the finest, most rich and complex sparkling wines in the world. The elegance, longevity and racy acidity of these wines are attributed to the influence of the chalky soils of the region and the cool, marginal continental climate. The region spans an area of 35,000 ha and has 4 main growing areas, each favouring one of the three noble Champagne varieties; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Champagne has a vineyard quality hierarchy based on the soils, aspect and overall quality of the grapes. Like Burgundy, these quality designations are allocated to the vineyards of the village. Of the 319 villages of Champagne, 17 have Grand Cru status and 44 villages are designated Premier Cru. All Champagne is produced by Traditional Method. The vast majority of Champagne is a blend of the three varieties and may also be a blend of several vintages producing the popular Non Vintage (NV) house styles. Top quality blends from exceptional years are sold as Vintage (Millésime) Champagne.
