Gosset "Grand" Blanc des Blancs Brut Champagne

Professional Reviews

Staff Reviews

GW

Gary Westby

Gary Westby

K&L Buyer

The dry focus of this Gosset made it a perfect partner for the sushi that I ordered from my friends at Akasaka in Menlo Park. The wine is very light and elegant, but even with rich salmon nigiri has plenty of flavor... It is a classy beverage, and I found it to be understated, subtle, and intriguing. I love Champagne that is hard to describe but easy to drink, and the Gosset Blanc des Blancs is a great example of wine that is easier to enjoy than to describe. The texture and bead are perfection, with plenty of tiny streamers to delight. I loved the subtle apricot aroma and flavor that contrasted the baguette-like toast in this wine, but the best feature was the finish--long, detailed and chalky. If you have a special occasion coming, this is a treat that you will love. It is a great bottle of Champagne.

Notes

This is the very newest cuvée to be released from this, the oldest of Champagne houses. It is composed of Chardonnay from 11 villages including Trepail & Viller-Marmery on the east facing slopes of the Mountagne de Reims, Tours-sur-Marne in the Grand Valley of the Marne and the entire Côte des Blancs. It is a blend of three vintages and is aged for four years on the lees before release. Like all of Gosset's wines, this Champagne does not undergo malolactic fermentation. Stopping the malolactic in a Blanc des Blancs Champagne is very, very rare, as Chardonnay is by far the highest acid grape variety in the region. This conservation of acid makes for a very zippy, focused bottle. The genius of Gosset is to give the Trepail and Villers fruit a leading role, as these terroirs show a softer, fruitier side of the grape than the pure chalk laser beams of Mesnil and Oger. That being said, at only 5.5 grams per liter of dosage, and no malo, this is one dry bottle of Champagne!