78% Pinot Noir, 22% Chardonnay. The majestic Clos des Goisses vineyard rises steeply from the edge of the Marne River and is planted to 3.5 hectares of Pinot Noir and two hectares of Chardonnay. This historically revered, south-facing slope was the region’s first to be bottled as a single-vineyard wine. With a focus on precise viticulture, old mass-selection vines, moderate yields and ripe fruit at harvest, the wine has never been better.

The slope on this, the so-called Mont de Mareuil, is relatively steep, at between 30 and 45 degrees. The vineyard's altitude climbs from 85 to 130 metres, facing the midday sun and basking in the reflected glory of the River Marne at its foot. The Clos des Goisses' extremely chalky soils, aspect and atypical warmth—the average growing season temperature here is 1.5°C higher than most of Champagne—result in one of Champagne’s most powerful and intense wines.

Be sure to serve these wines in a proper wine glass, ideally not too cold, and don’t be scared to decant them. In short, treat it like a fine white wine—for that’s what it is! It’s also a serious food wine and can stand up to a wide range of dishes, including roast chicken or pork, game birds, sausages, hard cheeses, pâtés, terrines, etc.

78% Pinot Noir, 22% Chardonnay. The majestic Clos des Goisses vineyard rises steeply from the edge of the Marne River and is planted to 3.5 hectares of Pinot Noir and two hectares of Chardonnay. This historically revered, south-facing slope was the region’s first to be bottled as a single-vineyard wine. With a focus on precise viticulture, old mass-selection vines, moderate yields and ripe fruit at harvest, the wine has never been better.

The slope on this, the so-called Mont de Mareuil, is relatively steep, at between 30 and 45 degrees. The vineyard's altitude climbs from 85 to 130 metres, facing the midday sun and basking in the reflected glory of the River Marne at its foot. The Clos des Goisses' extremely chalky soils, aspect and atypical warmth—the average growing season temperature here is 1.5°C higher than most of Champagne—result in one of Champagne’s most powerful and intense wines.

Be sure to serve these wines in a proper wine glass, ideally not too cold, and don’t be scared to decant them. In short, treat it like a fine white wine—for that’s what it is! It’s also a serious food wine and can stand up to a wide range of dishes, including roast chicken or pork, game birds, sausages, hard cheeses, pâtés, terrines, etc.

100% Pinot Noir. In exceptional years, this pure Pinot Noir cuvée emerges from the heart of Clos des Goisses, from the adjoining plots of Les Petits Cintres and Les Grands Cintres. According to Charles Philliponnat, these are the oldest and best-exposed plots on the entire hill, home to 70-year-old mass-selection cuttings of unknown origins. Known for yielding exceptionally concentrated fruit, the 2012 was fully barrel fermented and underwent no malolactic fermentation. It was disgorged after 10 years on lees and finished with a 4.5 g/L dosage. This cuvée is deliberately crafted in limited quantities and produced using just a third of the harvest volume to avoid weakening the classic cuvée.

80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. Juste Rosé was added to the portfolio in 1999. Rather than creating a flamboyantly bold wine, as might have been expected from the warm south-facing site, Charles Philipponnat opted for a more refined and pale-coloured wine—‘hardly a rosé’, as its name suggests. The wine is based on a similar blend to the Clos des Goisses Blanc, with an addition of Pinot from several Clos des Goisses lieux-dits, including La Dure, Le Collet, Les 28 Verges, Les Petits Cintres and Les Jolivets Noirs. Only 2,000-3,000 bottles are produced each year, and the wine ages for nine years before release. The rosé is now made with 30% saignée to allow control over the wine’s hue and structure, and the winemaking supports a texture that is at once supple and exceptionally graceful.

59% Pinot Noir and 41% Chardonnay. Packaged in a solid oak box. The L.V., or Long Vieillissement, is Philipponnat’s extended-aging project. It is widely accepted that the Clos des Goisses is one of the finest wines in Champagne for aging and needs at least 10 to 15 years to unveil its true majesty. For over two decades, Philipponnat has held back a portion of Clos des Goisses to be released over time. While there have already been some late-disgorged wines released over the years, the L.V. range now formalises a yearly release at the same time as the current vintage. Please note, we are talking about maturation on lees here, with late disgorgement for release. The 1999 L.V. is a blend of 59% Pinot Noir and 41% Chardonnay vinified by Charles Philliponnat himself (in his first year) and aged for a quarter of a century in Philipponnat’s Caveau du Trésor.