2008 Champagne Gosset, Célébris, Rosé, Extra Brut

Offering up aromas of honeycomb, warm biscuits, red berries and spices, the just-released 2008 Extra Brut Celebris Rosé is full-bodied, ample and layered, with a concentrated, even expansive mid-palate; but if this Celebris Rosé leads with its voluminous core of fruit, it's its tangy spine of acidity and taut structure that dominates the bone-dry finish. That structure will demand some patience, but this is an impressive effort from Gosset.

Drink 2023 - 2040

The 2008 Brut Rosé Celebris is an absolutely gorgeous Champagne that captures the essence of the Gosset house style. Bright and ethereal in feel, the 2008 is deceptive in its first impression, but it has plenty of depth to match its decidedly regal, understated personality. The 6.5-gram dosage feels perfectly judged, just enough to fill out the layers and avoid some of the starkness these wines can show, but not so much as to be overpowering. Crushed red berry fruit, chalk, mint and white pepper build as this finely-sculpted Rosé shows off its charms. This is beautifully done. The dosage is 6.5 grams per litre. 

Disgorged: April, 2021

Drink 2021 - 2031

The skillfully crafted Gosset Champagnes remain in good hands with the current cellar master Odilon de Varine, as evidenced by this fascinating rosé Champagne. Over the past 25 years, the vintage rosé version of this Celebris cuvée has been released only for the 1998, 2003, 2007 and 2008 vintages. 

Produced from a blend of grand cru Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a dosage of 5g/L. The complex bouquet is redolent with delicious pastry notes of the famous pink biscuit of Reims and ripe blackberries. On the palate, this is a powerful, densely textured but beautifully balanced Champagne that merits cellaring for several years for it to come completely into focus.

Drink 2021 - 2030

Only the fourth-ever release of this cuvée, the 2008 Champagne Celebris Rosé pours an orange/salmon colour and is outstanding on opening, with a perfume of fresh rose petals, honeycomb, and cherry blossoms. Long on the palate, it’s persistent with fresh acidity and feels like it will last for ages. It’s exquisitely detailed, medium to full-bodied, with a soft mineral texture and a refined mousse. Though it is drinking beautifully already, this outstanding wine will improve if cellared in good condition. Drink it over the coming decades.

The oldest wine house in Champagne, established by Pierre Gosset in 1584 in Ay, Gosset, was purchased by Reynaud-Cointreau in 1993. Today, the chef de cave is Odilon de Varine, formerly of Deutz and Henriot, and the philosophy is to adapt to each year and avoid getting stuck in the past. Each of the growers’ plots is fermented separately, and malolactic fermentation is entirely blocked, working with the lees to create roundness in the wines instead. 

The house has gradually shifted from being predominantly a Pinot Noir house to that of Chardonnay. Total annual production is approximately 1 million bottles, although they can produce 1.5 million. They hold a considerable stock of reserve wine for 60 years, alleviating the pressures to put out more quantity. This year marks the first release ever for the Celebris Blanc de Blancs.

Drink 2023 - 2043