The least planted of the three main grapes, chardonnay is still a crucial partner, bringing elegance and finesse to a blend. When grown so far north, acidity levels in chardonnay are high, but this is essential for wines to have longevity, and to ensure that the finished blend doesn't taste flabby. It is this acidity that marks the finesse and precision of these fine sparkling wines. Champagnes with a high proportion of chardonnay are generally the most elegant and pure styles and make wonderful aperitifs. Champagnes made solely from chardonnay are known as blanc de blancs ('white of whites'). 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. The next two digits refer to the week in the year, in the case above, the 8th week of the year, (February 2015). The Gosset style of dry Champagnes is well expressed in their nonvintage cuvée. It is crisp with a steely acidity that is balanced by apple and tight citrus fruit flavors. The wine is fresh while also showing a touch of bottle aging. 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.

Gosset is still based in Aÿ, a village just a few kilometres from Epernay, and remains relatively small at 1.3 million bottles a year, with the focus on premium wines. The house style here is one of purity, elegance and precision. Today the House is owned by the Renaud-Cointreau group, a family firm that also owns Cognac Frapin. 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.

By Type

Champagne is made from chardonnay, pinot noir or pinot meunier grapes (there are one or two other permitted varieties but these are very rare) grown on chalky hillsides within a strictly demarcated region centred on the twin towns of Reims and Epernay, some 90 miles east of Paris. After hand harvesting, each grape variety is vinified separately, and in the following spring, the wines are blended unless a blancs de blancs is to made in which case any blending will be from parcels of chardonnay that were vinified separately. Yeast and sugar are added, and the wine is bottled for its second fermentation which creates the bubbles, or mousse. Pinot noir offers complexity, fruit flavour and texture, which explains why it is the most planted Champagne grape. Acidity levels are not as high as chardonnay, but pinot noir offers weightier flavours, adding body and strength, and giving the wine structure. Bollinger is a good example of a classic pinot noir-dominant blend. Founded in Ay in 1584 Champagne Gosset is the oldest wine house in Champagne. The Grande Réserve is the true signature of the House. Its style rests on Pinot Noir from Ay which gives the structure to the wine. Malolactic fermentation has been avoided to preserve the freshness and the elegance of the fruit and a long ageing in cellars will bring roundness and complexity. Dosage is kept low as in the style of the house (8 g/l). Pinot Noir accounts for nearly 40% of the plantings in Champagne and lies at the heart of most blends - it gives Champagne its body, structure, strength and grip. It is planted across Champagne and particularly so in the southern Aube district. The predominantly Pinot Noir blend creates a very fine fruit, refreshed by the Chardonnay endowing it with an elegant, mineral finish.

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. 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. This cuvée has a bright and golden colour. The nose is dominated by the freshness and the fruit. The Chardonnay brings finesse sustained by notes of yellow fruits such as peach and Mirabelle plum. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and generous. The Pinot Noir of Ay gives its structure. Hawthorn and white flowers merge naturally. Acidity is expressed by citrus fruits. of vineyards in Champagne are planted with Chardonnay and it performs best on the Côtes des Blancs and on the chalk slopes south of Epernay. It is relatively simple to grow, although it buds early and thus is susceptible to spring frosts. It produces lighter, fresher wines than those from Burgundy and gives finesse, fruit and elegance to the final blend. It is the sole grape in Blancs de Blancs, which are some of the richest long-lived Champagnes produced.Gosset 15 Ans, a modern ‘Non Vintage masterpiece’ made of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir and aged 15 years in bottle.

Created with the vision of making the very best brut non-vintage in Champagne, Gosset Grande Réserve Brut NV is a blend of only Grand and Premier Cru grapes. Aged for a minimum of five years on the lees, it is still presented today in the same antique bottle used when the House first began making sparking wine. A truly faithful expression of the famous Gosset style. Situated in the tiny Grand Cru village of Aÿ, five kilometres from Epernay, quality-focused Gosset has some rather famous neighbours, including Bollinger; its production, however, is much below that of the larger Houses, at around 1.3 million bottles (Moët & Chandon, for comparison, makes close to 30 million). 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. 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.Champagne sweetness: Champagnes, on the whole, are less sweet than they were 100 years ago, mainly as a result of consumer demand. Brut is by far the most common style. Founded in Aÿ in 1584 by Pierre Gosset, Champagne Gosset is the oldest wine house in Champagne. For more than four centuries, the family has preserved its house style, a true reflection of the terroir; a textured wine that shows purity, precision and persistence. A blend of fruit from the Montagne de Reims and the Cote des Blancs, it shows some attractive maturity. Given its balanced, perfumed aftertaste and great fruitiness, this is a Champagne to drink now...' 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. 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.