Champagne Philipponnat vertical: rare and recently-disgorged Clos des Goisses

Walking 130 meters up uneven steps along the 45-degree incline of Champagne’s warmest slope – the Clos des Goisses – Champagne house director Charles Philipponnat was looking forward to a vertical of vintages reaching back to 1964.

Scroll down for Panos Kakaviatos’ Clos des Goisses tasting notes and scores

Gripping chalk from the 5.83 hectares vineyard, he was determined to prove that precision and freshness co-exist with maximum ripeness, even in an era of global warming.

After surviving a serious case of Covid-19 last year, he was happy to invite a few people to a vertical of mainly special-edition wines – vintages disgorged after at least 25 years on their lees in bottle.

{"content":"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"}