The NV Grande Reserve Brut, which is 45% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, and the rest Pinot Meunier and 8 g/l dosage, is lifted with tropical and citrus fruit, including lychee, orange blossom, and lime. Juicy and medium-bodied, with tangerine and mango, it is a solid entry to the range.

The nose opens with the fresh ripeness of yellow apple and highlights of Granny Smith. Beautifully subtle autolysis on the palate deepens into notes of creamy apple crumble, Golden delicious and Mirabelle plum while remaining utterly straitlaced. Elegance, length and absolute freshness are inherent and quietly convincing. Founded in 1584, Gosset is the oldest House in the Champagne region. Production remained fairly low-key until 1994, when the House was sold to the family owned Renaud-Cointreau Group. This takeover saw an increased level of investment improve their vineyard management and fostered a doubling of Gosset's annual production to nearly one million bottles in just fourteen years. Production was accelerated by the return to the beautiful old-fashioned bottles identical to the ones used by Jean Gosset in the 18th century. After sixteen generations in the famous village of Aÿ, the winery has only recently moved to Épernay and the modern ex-Malakoff cellars. 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. 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.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.

WINE: Grande Réserve is the “heart” of the range. This non-vintage cuvée utilizes mostly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a small portion of Pinot Meunier. Grande Réserve spends 3-4 years on the lees, which is three times longer than the AOC legal limit and provides added texture and complexity. 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. 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. 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. 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.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. opens with a rich, ripe and intense, yet elegant and distinguished bouquet of sweet cherries, yellow plums, brioches, lemons and a hint of nougat. Round and intense on the palate, this is a medium to full-bodied, elegant and mouth-filling Brut. It has charming cherry fruit, and nice freshness and grip in the finish. There are lovely herbal aromas in the aftertaste...