Climbing Clos des goisses

By Edouard Bourgeois

July 11, 2024

Ever since I started working in wine, first as a sommelier in Reims, Champagne, I became a fan of Champagne Philipponnat and particularly impressed with their prestige cuvée “Clos des Goisses”. I still remember opening these old bottles from the 1970’s with their distinctive shape (see picture below this article). It made me truly understand that Champagne is a wine that can really age. 1935 was in fact the first vintage of Clos des Goisses and back then, making Champagne from only one site was unheard of. Although this single vineyard bottling mentality is more common today, Champagne is historically known for being the result of a blend. Blend of sites but also different grape varieties and of course, different years, something unique to the region.

But Clos des Goisses also sets itself apart from other Champagne cuvees in many other ways. First, the vineyard is completely unique, with an incline that can reach up to 45% gradient, exposed due south! The total surface area is 5.8 hectares, roughly the same size of La Tache in Burgundy… The family house Philipponnat is the sole owner of Clos des Goisses and is known for its focus on Pinot Noir, which surprisingly only accounts for a small majority of the plantings in Clos des Goisses, the rest being Chardonnay. It is a short five minute walk from the Philipponnat headquarters in Mareuil-sur-Ay, in the Vallée de la Marne to the Clos des Goisses. Once you reach the site, you get instantly mesmerized by the imposing steep slope that bathes in sunlight. Cables are in fact needed in some parts to bring the workers’ equipment up the slope.

As far as winemaking is concerned, the 14 plots within the Clos (4 planted in Chardonnay and 10 in Pinot Noir) are vinified separately in a mixture of stainless steel vats and large oak casks. Then, the best wines are kept and blended. What doesn’t make it to Clos des Goisses is used to make the cuvée Grand Blanc (Blanc de Blancs) and the cuvée Blanc de Noirs, both excellent wines as well by the way. So, Clos des Goisses is never the same blend every year and the quantity produced obviously varies, along with the exact blend. That is how only 7,000 bottles were made in the difficult 2001 vintage and in 2008, the Chardonnay was so fine that it dominated the blend for the first time, accounting for 55% of the blend.

If you dare (and get the authorization!) you can venture to climb the steps (some call stairway to heaven) to the top of Clos des Goisses. I was lucky to do just that last month on a blazing hot afternoon and wanted to share the beautiful pictures I took.

I hope you enjoy!

Stairway to Heaven

plenty of life in this vineyard that has been certified HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) since 2012

Each plot within the Clos is identified by a “Borne” like this one. There are 14 plots total

The flowering is over and grapes start to form

Evolution of the bottle shapes and style

Part of the scenery!