Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2016

The 2016 Extra-Brut Clos des Goisses is a very classy, polished Champagne. This is the second year (the first was 2015) where all the lots were fermented in oak. Dried pear, spice, kirsch, hazelnut and cedar open first, with Pinot very much front and center in the wine's overall feel. I tasted the 2016 à la volée (without disgorgement). My first impression is of a mid-weight Goisses, a wine that is more about finesse than power.

Disgorged in March 2025 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter, Philipponnat’s 2016 Clos des Goisses has turned out beautifully, opening with aromas of pear, peach and spring flowers mingled with lychee and a subtle hint of ginger. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, simultaneously textural and racy, with a concentrated core of ripe fruit and racy acidity, concluding with a long, sapid finish laced with lemon zest. While characteristically demonstrative—befitting a site of southern exposure—it is not an exuberant Clos des Goisses but rather a harmonious rendition. It shares some of the traits seen in the 2013, though with slightly less incisive spine of acidity. Charles Philipponnat notes that the harvest began on 19 September and that yields were relatively modest. The wine was vinified exclusively in oak—specifically, 228-liter barrels previously used in Burgundy—and did not undergo malolactic fermentation. The final assemblage consists of 68% Pinot Noir and 32% Chardonnay.