Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2007

Score

Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Grape Variety: Chardonnay

Manufacturer:

Philipponnat

Decanter’s content director, John Stimpfig, reports on the extremely impressive and age-worthy Clos des Goisses 2007 and talks about its place in the fine wine market in the US and UK.

Philipponnat, Clos des Goisses, Champagne, France 2007

Tasting note

Extremly precise tensile acidity with gunflint, soy, vanilla, dry and lean citrus and pear fruit and just a faint note of eucalyptus leaf.

The bead and texture is also fine and pure leading to a terrifically long finish. This will certainly age for 25 years plus and shouldn’t really be broached for another five.

Context

Clos des Goisses is well-known for its ageing potential and this latest release is very much in the vin de garde category.

According to Champagne Philipponnat’s President, Charles Philipponnat, 2007 was an early harvest after a mild winter and warm spring. The harvest started late in August in good weather and provided generous, high quality clusters.

The 5.5ha walled vineyard is one of Champagne’s most famous and oldest single vineyard ‘clos’. It is south-facing on a steep, thin chalky slope on one of Mareuil-sur-Ay’s best hillsides in the Vallée de la Marne. It also benefits from slightly warmer temperatures than much of Champagne.

The 2007 Clos des Goisses was harvested between 3 and 7 September with a natural potential alcohol of just under 11%.

It received partial vinification in wooden barrels and as normal did not undergo the malolactic fermentation to lock in its innate freshness. Ageing took place in Philipponnat’s cellars at 12C.

A typical blend of 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay, the ’07 Clos des Goisses is much finer and more minerally intense than the 2006. The bottle I tasted had been disgorged in June and given a dosage of 4.25g/l.

Market Watch

The price of the Clos des Goisses 2007 represents a significant increase on the 2006, at:

£990 per dozen (UK in bond – BI Wines & Spirits)
$965 in the US ($175 a bottle at The Grape Co New York, $225 per bottle at Wally’s in California both ex-sales tax)

But most if this is due to exchange rate changes post the UK’s referendum vote on the EU.

Moreover, Prestige Cuvée Champagne prices are continuing to move up as the Liv-ex Champagne 50 Index, which has witnessed strong growth in the last few months.

October was its fourth consecutive monthly high and the index has now risen 8.7% since May 2016.

Clos des Goisses vintages have also performed particularly well in terms of price movement.

According to Liv-ex, since December the 2002 has risen from £1,650 to £2160 while the 2004 has gone from £940 to £1274 representing increases of 30.9% and 35.5% respectively.