“White nectarines shine through, fresh with every taste, enticing you back, truly an amazing wine,” writes Jones about Gosset Celebris 2012
Gosset cellar master Odilon de Varine at Gosset HQ in Epernay, 2019
This is the 9th edition of Gosset Celebris since it was first introduced in 1995 (with the 1988 Vintage), although since then Celebris Rosé and Celebris Blanc de Blancs have joined this elite club. With just 25,000 bottles available worldwide, this limited edition of Gosset Celebris Vintage 2012 represents a very rare edition.
Odilon de Varine, Gosset’s cellar master and deputy managing director, highlighted again the importance of food and wine matching and thatCelebris is a fine wine before it is fine Champagne.
Ekstedt at the Yard, London, the venue chosen for the launch
The launch was hosted at Ekstedt at the Yard, inside the impressive Great Scotland Yard Hotel in Victoria. Ekstedt is part of the Scandinavian outpost of multi award-winning Michelin Star chef Niklas Ekstedt and, whilst he was busy back in Stockholm, this lunch was perfectly created by chef Theres Anderson.
At Gosset attention is keenly focused on producing outstanding base wines using such vinification techniques as ‘pumping over in vats’ during vinification, a deliberate choice to avoid malolactic fermentation to maintain vivacity, while also favouring a long élevage or maturation process on lees, that will enable the Champagnes to acquire more depth and power.
The Gosset Celebris 2012 began its journey back in April 2013 with a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, which was bottled and then matured for over a decade. Following disgorgement and at least nine months of cellar-ageing in darkness, Varine went on to explain how “The harmony of the dosage is sealed in. The result is a wine that offers a harmonious balance between freshness, fruitiness, and mouthfeel, while maintaining its character and purity”.
However, before we were allowed to try the Gosset Celebris 2012 we went through a gastronomical journey firstly matched with the first vintage of Gosset Celebris Blanc de Blancs 2012, launched last year, and then the Gosset Celebris Rosé 2008.
Gosset Blanc de Blancs 2012 was paired with “Flambadou” Oysters
The food at Ekstedt is influenced by fire, smoke and foraging, highlighted with “Flambadou” Oysters, which were raw oysters that had smoky hot beef fat dripped on top, then an outstanding Hay Smoked Venison Carpaccio with pickled lingonberries, cep foam and thyme emulsion, served with the Blanc de Blancs.
And then with the Rosé an incredible dish of Seaweed Baked Leek with Sandefjord sauce and smoked trout roe. The sauce merely made from butter, cream and Crème Fraiche was the best “fish” sauce I have ever tasted. The aroma from the baked leeks had the whiff you get down Camden Passage with those naughty hedonistic notes. What an outstanding simple but brilliant concept.
With the two versions of the Gosset Celebris Vintage 2012 we were served Juniper Smoked Wild Duck, a juicy wild sweet duck, enhanced with beetroot puree infused with elderflower essence.
Enough about the food what about the wines?
Gosset Celebris Blanc de Blancs 2012
Released last year, and the first Celebris Blanc de Blancs, with only 15,000 released. Candied ginger, aromas of clementine zest, on the palate it is purity at its best, hints of minerality but it is focused with delicate essences of white stone fruit, a clean vanilla bean custard, evolves beautifully on the palate and a fine match to the Carpaccio of Venison.
Gosset Celebris Rosé 2008
This certainly held the room, a pretty perfect Vintage Rosé, refined wild strawberry perfume, wild autumn Scottish raspberries, a pink crisp macaroon, beady, lingering, ah just so perfect on the palate. It is savoury, floral and berry in one, perfect depth and an outstanding lingering but fresh finish. This is the stuff of dreams especially with the seaweed-baked leek.
Gosset Celebris Vintage 2012 from bottle
The first glass was served straight, and this was vibrant and exciting, fresh and seamless, white stone fruit with a dusting of red berries, white nectarines shine through, fresh with every taste, enticing you back, truly an amazing wine.
Gosset Celebris Vintage 2012 from carafe
More serious in a way, or more texturally, the minerality and yellow stone fruit stood out more, some notes of apricots, and yellow peaches. I guess this may highlight how this will evolve with age, or if they were in magnum.
This year’s Gosset Matchmakers winners Gail Ge’er Li and Jiachen Lu from Dinings LSW3
The wines (Champagne) certainly shone and were masterly highlighted by fabulous food. Gosset has always been very keen to encourage this, and I was very much involved with Gosset back in the late 1990s and early 2000s where Champagne was still a celebration and not a wine to share with food. Their annual competition the Gosset Matchmakersis now in its eight year, and this year’s chef and sommelier winners being Gail Ge’er Li and Jiachen Lu from Dinings LSW3.
Gosset Celebris Vintage 2012 will retail at around £210 a bottle, and is distributed by Louis Latour Agencies, which is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To discover more about them click here.
For trade sales only contact: sales@louislatour.co.uk
