New Release. Price £170.00. Tasting Notes: An opulent appearance, bright pale gold with emerald green highlights characteristic of wines with a high proportion of Chardonnay. The bubbles are fine and rise in a thin and persistent ribbon. The nose has ripe aromas of frangipane, Tarte Tatin, honey or salted butter caramel refreshed by aromas of pear, pineapple or citrus fruits such as kaffir lime, citron and sweet lime. The palate is open and flawless with salty notes followed by complex aromas reminiscent of pear, grapefruit and yuzu. This wine’s pure and fresh characteristics make it the perfect accompaniment to food but with patience it will reveal all its complexity and richness. ODILON DE VARINE, CELLAR?MASTER, COMMENTS: “The 2004 vintage has incredible balance and complexity. The malic acid, skillfully preserved, gives freshness and elegance to this great wine that will be enjoyed for several decades to come.” Winemaking: 52% Chardonnay, 48% Pinot Noir Chardonnay: Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil sur Oger. Pinot Noir: Aÿ, Bouzy, Verzy Dosage – 5 g/l (Extra Brut) Time spent in the cellars before disgorging: minimum 10 years Serving: between 10°C and 12°C Pairing with food: A perfect aperitif or with unusual food pairings such as Aveyron lamb, globe artichokes, Tonka beans or Brie de Meaux with vanilla. 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 jewel in the Gosset Crown has always been the Champagne Gosset Celebris. It is the top cuvee produced by Gosset and is only produced in the best vintages. Launched in the UK in April 2007. 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.