Champagne Philipponnat Clos des Goisses Extra Brut 2013

The Clos des Goisses is Philipponnat's singular obsession — a 5.5-hectare walled monopole on the steepest south-facing chalk slope in all of Champagne, dropping sharply toward the Marne canal at Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. That extreme aspect, combined with pure chalk subsoil, generates a thermal surplus of roughly 1–2°C above the regional average, pushing phenolic ripeness to levels almost incompatible with the Champagne AOC's cool-climate identity. The 2013 vintage, notoriously cool and late, is where this site's heat-banking capacity becomes decisive: where lesser parcels struggled, Clos des Goisses delivered structured, high-acid fruit with genuine depth. Vinification is conducted with first-press cuvée juice only, fermented in a combination of stainless steel and oak vessels, with partial malolactic fermentation retained to preserve the site's electric acidity while adding textural weight. Extended lees aging in bottle — well beyond NV minimums — builds the autolytic complexity that defines this cuvée's mid-palate. What no peer replicates: Clos des Goisses is a true monopole Extra Brut from a single steep-slope site, produced by a house whose family viticultural roots in Aÿ trace to 1522 — making this arguably Champagne's longest-tenured single-site obsession. The 2013 drinking window rewards patience; its structural tension and chalk-driven salinity are only now beginning to resolve into the vinous, broad-shouldered character that defines Philipponnat's house signature.