Not all Champagnes are created equal.

As much as champagne lovers will tell you, drinking Champagne is a year-round endeavor. From a retail perspective, the latter part of the year is when we sell most of the wines with bubbles. As a category, Sparkling wines have increased by 57% since 2002, and now represents just under 8% of the world’s total wine production. Maybe it’s the holiday and getting together with friends or even celebrating the New Year. Whatever the reason, customers are gathering in our Champagne and sparkling wine aisle, trying to make sense of all the many selections offered. Let me see if I can offer some guidance.

As everyone knows, not all wines with bubbles are Champagne. Non-Champagne bubblies are often made from other grapes, have different growing climates and inferior soils, and are not comparable to real Champagne. They were recognized by the fact that the word “Champagne” cannot be used on the label other than the wines originating from Champagne, France (with very few exceptions). Champagne stands out because it is as far north as vines can be grown commercially in France. They are grown on a high proportion of chalky soils (Kimmeridgian), which encourage the roots to burrow deep to find a generous supply of water. The clay soils make it easy to construct cool, dark, humid cellars. The wine was always the drink for royalty and had a head start in the public relations game of establishing Champagne as the go-to wine of celebration and glamour. Back to my beginning premise, not all Champagnes are created equal.

Let me present to you the Champagne house of Gosset. Founded in 1584 by Pierre Gosset, an alderman in Aÿ, Gosset is the oldest wine house in Champagne. As with all wine houses in the day, they initially focused on producing pale still red wines from the Montagne de Reims. Only later, when Methode Champegnoise became popular in the early 1700s, did Gosset adopt the local tradition of fizz that became so popular for Champagne. Production is still boutique, with only one million carefully crafted bottles made annually. While this may sound like a lot, it is, in fact, a mere fraction of the yearly output of bigger houses, some of which are comfortably in the tens of millions. (Moet is 38 million bottles.) Gosset is one of the smallest Grande Marque Champagne producers. The term Grande Marque (‘Great Brand’) represents international brand awareness, infallible reputation, and unyielding customer loyalty. Today, there are 24 Champagne Houses that are considered ‘Les Grandes Marques.’ I might add that Grande Marques, because of their international appeal, tend to be pricey; Veuve Cliquot is $67.98, Moet $54.98, and Bollinger $72.98, which makes Gosset at $44.98, very attractive. While remaining one of the most prestigious houses, considered by many collectors and connoisseurs as the world’s preeminent name in luxury champagne

Gosset’s signature style is freshness, owing, in part, to the suppression of malolactic fermentation, a not-so-common approach in Champagne. This preserves the wines’ acidity and green-apple crispness. To add flesh and richness, Gosset uses plenty of reserve wine — by Champagne law, they can use up to 40% pasts vintages in their blend for NV; generally, they use 10 to 15% and have seven years of stocks in their cellars to choose from in Épernay and Aÿ. They also leave their nonvintage wines on its lees for three and one-half years before disgorgement. It is quite a bit longer than other houses; the legal limit is 12 months. This gives the wine a more bread dough complexity compared to other houses.

Gosset’s reputation for excellence starts on the vines. Its champagnes are composed almost entirely of grapes from Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards. To produce the Brut Grande Réserve Champagne, Gosset sources fruit from eight villages: Aÿ, Avize, Le Mesnil, Oger, Avenay, Chavot, Hautvillers, and Trepail. The blend is 45 percent each Chardonnay and Pinot noir and 10 percent Meunier. The dosage brings the residual sugar to 7 g/L (6 to 12 g/L is considered brut.), making this a very dry champagne.

“Gosset is very much at the top of its game right now, with an impeccable range of wines that demonstrate not only great quality but a strong personality and expression of character. They are wines that emphasize finesse above all, but they are not delicate wines—in fact, they consistently reveal a pronounced vinosity and a complex richness of fruit, even if this is often presented in a discreet and understated manner.”— Peter Liem, Champagneguide.net

The color is bright and golden, the nose open and expressive, and the palate is dominated by a refreshing mineral tension.

“This is the true signature of the House. An expression of the Gosset style, which I have been maintaining for 30 years.” Jean-Pierre Mareigner, Cellarmaster

Ripe fruits balance the crispness, while some bottle age has allowed the acidity to soften. Wine Enthusiast 90 pts

A spine of chiseled acidity structures this vivid, creamy Champagne, which has a minerally underpinning of smoke and brine and flavors of Asian pear, baked pineapple, lemon curd, toasted brioche, and roasted almond. Wine Spectator 93 pts

Aromas of crisp orchard fruit, pear, and apricot, mingled with hints of fresh bread and pastry, introduce the latest release of Gosset’s NV Brut Grande Réserve, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy but incisive wine that’s deceptively generous but also structured to reward some bottle age. The Wine Advocate 92 pts

The nose opens with the fresh ripeness of yellow apple and highlights of Granny Smith. It has beautifully subtle autolysis on the palate, deepening into notes of creamy apple crumble, Golden Delicious, and Mirabelle plum while remaining utterly strait-laced. Elegance, length, and absolute freshness are inherent and quietly convincing. Decanter 94 pts

Gosset Grande Reserve Brut, NV

Being in a festive mood, we thought, what better time to do a serious tasting of Gosset Grande Reserve Brut? I have to admit we had it too cold when the cork popped. A word to the wise that although Champagne should be drunk cold, when it's too cold, all you taste is the acid with very little fruit. I tried it again when Dena got in a half hour later, and let me tell you, the heavens parted, and birds sang. The lemon we initially tasted turned into a lemon custard and apple tart with a touch of walnuts. It had medium weight on the palate with some creamy tones. Notes of baked bread and brioche came out that I hadn’t noticed before. Dena called it phat, and Tim said it had great lift. I just wanted some more.

This wine is available in all our four stores. If you want to order it online, use the order button below, which will take you to our online web-ordering portal. It is priced at $44.98, which is legally the lowest we can sell it, so there is no volume discount, order as much or as little as you want.



Thank you again for a great year, have a great holiday season, and see you back here next year for more stories.

Everyday Low Price: $44.98*

*Do not respond to this email. Use the order button above, or if you are not comfortable ordering online, then just visit your favorite Yankee Spirits location and pick up a bottle or three of Gosset with everything else that you’ll need for the holidays.

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