Gosset Grand Reserve Brut Champagne NV 75 cl

Product Information

Non-Vintage is by far the most popular style of Champagne, representing as it does the producer's house style. The name is rather misleading; Krug's preferred term, 'multi-vintage', is perhaps more appropriate, since an NV will be a blend from a number of vintages. Consistency is crucial, and it is here that the skill of the blender comes to the fore. The predominantly Pinot Noir blend creates a very fine fruit, refreshed by the Chardonnay endowing it with an elegant, mineral finish. Champagne Gosset’s winemaking utilizes all the grapes and terroir have to offer and minimizes other inputs. Gosset carefully avoids malolactic fermentation, thus preserving the malic acid present in the grapes. Grower lots are kept separate until it is time to blend the cuvées, and vinification temperatures are managed carefully to preserve delicate aromatics. During assemblage, all the lots are tasted blind – there are no recipes. Similarly, dosage for each lot is selected during blind trials. Non-vintage wines are cellared for at least three years, vintage wines at least seven and 10 for the CELEBRIS cuvées. An engaging bouquet of lively citrus and strawberry fruits with lovely smoky minerality. The palate shows fresh citrus fruits together with light minerality and a lovely toasty finish.

Bottled at the end of the spring following the harvest, 4 years minimum aging in cellars. The dosage is adjusted with precision to preserve the balance between freshness, fruit, and vinosity without masking the wine’s character and purity. WINE: Grande Réserve is the “heart” of the range. This non-vintage cuvée utilizes mostly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a small portion of Pinot Meunier. Grande Réserve spends 3-4 years on the lees, which is three times longer than the AOC legal limit and provides added texture and complexity. Brut denotes a dry style of Champagne (less than 15 grams per litre). Most Champagne is non-vintage, produced from a blend from different years. The non-vintage blend is always based predominately on wines made from the current harvest, enriched with aged wines (their proportion and age varies by brand) from earlier harvests, which impart an additional level of complexity to the end wine. Champagnes from a single vintage are labelled with the year reference and with the description Millésimé. Brut Nature/Brut Zéro - Fewer than 3 grams of sugar per litre (1 on The Wine Society’s sweetness code)Founded in 1584, Gosset is the oldest House in the Champagne region. Production remained fairly low-key until 1994, when the House was sold to the family owned Renaud-Cointreau Group. This takeover saw an increased level of investment improve their vineyard management and fostered a doubling of Gosset's annual production to nearly one million bottles in just fourteen years. Production was accelerated by the return to the beautiful old-fashioned bottles identical to the ones used by Jean Gosset in the 18th century. After sixteen generations in the famous village of Aÿ, the winery has only recently moved to Épernay and the modern ex-Malakoff cellars. Pierre Gosset was Mayor of Ay when, in 1584, he founded his Wine House. Only still wine were made at the time with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grape, known as Vin D’Ay. The Sparkling wine production only started in the 18th Century and was presented in the antique flask still used for the production of Champagne Gosset today. How significant is France in the world of wine? The most popular international grape varieties, from Chardonnay to Merlot to Cabernet Sauvignon, are native to France. In many years France produces (and consumes!) more wine than any other country. Its production and export of fine wines is unmatched. The NV Grande Reserve Brut, which is 45% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, and the rest Pinot Meunier and 8 g/l dosage, is lifted with tropical and citrus fruit, including lychee, orange blossom, and lime. Juicy and medium-bodied, with tangerine and mango, it is a solid entry to the range. What marks the ‘Champagne’ method from other sparkling wines is the fact that this complex and gradual maturation process, along with the second fermentation, takes place in the same bottle as the wine is sold.

For centuries, French wines have set standards to inspire winemakers around the world. No other country has France’s long history of fine wine production, which has helped define wine styles around the world. A recent study proved that Champagne may be stored equally well standing upright as horizontal. The pressure inside the bottle ensures the cork does not shrink and dry out for many years. Champagne is sensitive to light and warmth and should always be stored somewhere dark and cool. Rosé Champagne is unique in that it is the only rosé in France that is allowed to be made by mixing red and white wines, as opposed to the normal method of using dark-skinned grapes and macerating them for a short period, so a little of the colour is leeched. In the past some houses felt it rather beneath them to produce rosé Champagne, but almost all do so now.Gosset, the oldest of Champagne houses, have been making wine in Aÿ since 1584, much longer than Champagne has had bubbles intentionally! Which grapes are included in the blend, and their proportion, is one of the key factors determining the style of most Champagnes. Three grapes are used - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. In some Champagnes the dégorgement is delayed, sometimes for years, to increase the depth and complexity of the flavours through more time spent on the lees. After topping up (dosage) with a little more wine and sugar (known as liqueur d'expédition), the bottle is sealed. Gosset 15 Ans, a modern ‘Non Vintage masterpiece’ made of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir and aged 15 years in bottle. The nose opens with the fresh ripeness of yellow apple and highlights of Granny Smith. Beautifully subtle autolysis on the palate deepens into notes of creamy apple crumble, Golden delicious and Mirabelle plum while remaining utterly straitlaced. Elegance, length and absolute freshness are inherent and quietly convincing.