Gosset Grand Millesime 2000

A bright, sparkling radiant yellow gold. Lively and effervescent.  The initial nose exhales rich, complex notes. There is an atmosphere of a delicate notes almond, frangipane, dried herbs, butter-pastries, molten honey, then drifting onto discreet notes of boxwood and incense with a subtle final note of menthol.

The palate is lovely and fresh, dominated by the majestic mark of the predominant Chardonnay. The wine’s consistency and richness is a signature of its  wonderful maturity, the sweetness is perfectly balanced, emphasised by a judicious and necessary ‘under-dosage’.

Grape Variety:

57% Chardonnay, 43% Pinot Noir

Pairing with food:

Perfect with food and can be enjoyed throughout an entire meal. Ready for drinking, it is a marvellous match for modern, traditional or regional French or Asian cuisine. It complements almost any kind of dish, with the obvious exception of those with excessive acidity or bitterness.

Magnificent in the spring, with its notes that are both lively and complex. Savour it without hesitation with a plump poulard with succulent meat accompanied by crisp, small, young vegetables (carrots, swede, artichoke hearts and petits pois).

Background Information:

Champagne Gosset is the oldest wine house in Champagne established in Ay in 1584 and is owned by the Cointreau family. The Cointreaus also own Gosset’s sister company, Cognac Frapin, and Jean Pierre is currently C.E.O of both companies. They bought Gosset in 1993 when Albert Gosset of the original Gosset family died. The Cointreaus hold strong the belief that Gosset is a family run business and maintain the hands on approach that was started by the original Gosset family.

Situated in the tiny Grand Cru village of Aÿ, 5 kilometres north of Epernay, Gosset has some rather famous neighbours, including Bollinger. However, production is much below that of the larger houses and would struggle to reach the number of bottles produced by Krug in a year. Yearly production has now reached almost 1.3 million bottles. All Gosset champagnes are ‘recently disgorged’ and the house does not undertake malolactic fermentation. This preserves acidity which in turn keeps the wine fresh for much longer. Bottles are removed from one part of the cellar to another every six months, and given a vigorous shake in the process. This reinvigorates any live yeast and is only carried out by a few houses.

The Gosset style is very creamy, dry but not acidic, full, biscuity and yeasty. All the cuvees have good bottle age. The champagnes are excellent by themselves or with food.