Founded in Aÿ in 1584 by Pierre Gosset, Champagne Gosset is the oldest wine house in Champagne. For more than four centuries, the preservation of style, elegance and family traditions in the making of Gosset champagne has been paramount. Champagne Gosset’s reputation for high-quality starts in the vineyard, where they source grapes almost entirely from premier cru and grand cru vineyards. Unlike most champagne producers, Gosset carefully avoids malolactic fermentation and uses extended lees aging to expose the terroir and produce dynamic, age-worthy cuvées. Gosset champagnes are made with extreme care and kept in dark cellars for four to five years for non-vintage wines — and up to seven for vintage champagnes and 10 for the CELEBRIS cuvées — before release.
Founded in Aÿ in 1584 by Pierre Gosset, Champagne Gosset is the oldest wine house in Champagne. Over the next four centuries, generations of the Gosset family would go on to win fame not only as alderman, mayors and magistrates in Aÿ, but also in growing and trading wines of Champagne. Whatever the period, the men and women of the Gosset family had a single ambition — to improve their terroir.
In 1993, after more than 400 years of family ownership, Champagne Gosset was purchased by the Renaud-Cointreau family, who also owns and manages the highly regarded Cognac Frapin. The Renaud-Cointreaus insist on a continuity of the old-style champagne appropriate to its historic birthplace in Aÿ. While other Champagne houses are handing over the reins to large corporations, the Renaud-Cointreau family understands the importance of preserving the heritage in winemaking that has, over 430 years, made Champagne Gosset the ultimate name in champagne.
In 2009, Champagne Gosset announced the acquisition of a new property in the heart of Epernay, which doubles the cellar space and serves as an extension to its production facilities in Aÿ.
Champagne Gosset’s reputation for quality starts in the vineyard, where it sources grapes almost entirely from premier cru and grand cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs, Grand Vallée de la Marne and Montagne de Reims. These vineyards rate an average of 95 percent on the “échelle des crus,” or “ladder of growths,” — the classification system of the villages in the Champagne region. The top-rated villages are given a score of 100 percent and are called grand crus; currently there are 17 such villages. The next tier has scores ranging from 90 to 99 percent; these are the premier cru villages, of which there are 44. The remaining 296 crus have scores between 80 and 89 percent.
Champagne Gosset has long-term relationships with growers that date back several generations, allowing the winemaking team to direct activity in the vineyards.
Champagne Gosset’s style is based on a philosophy that aims to utilize all the grapes and terroir have to offer and to minimize other inputs. For example, unlike most champagne producers, Gosset carefully avoids malolactic fermentation, thus preserving the malic acid present in the grapes.
Champagne Gosset keeps all grower lots separate until it is time to blend the cuvées and vinification temperatures are managed carefully to preserve delicate aromatics.
During assemblage, all the lots are tasted blind – there are no recipes with Champagne Gosset. Similarly, dosage for each lot is selected during blind trials. Gosset champagnes are made with extreme care and kept in dark cellars for at least three years — and up to seven for vintage champagnes and 10 for the CELEBRIS cuvées — before release. Extended lees aging is another hallmark of Champagne Gosset.
Gosset’s inimitable style — pure, precise, elegant and textured, with remarkable longevity — has changed little over the centuries. Once a favorite of the kings and queens of France, Champagne Gosset remains one of the most illustrious and prestigious producers, considered by many collectors and connoisseurs as the world’s preeminent luxury champagne.
59% Pinot Noir, 41% Chardonnay
An extremely fine and grouped effervescence. The dress is crystalline, luminous, and slightly golden. The nose is fruity, fresh, and tangy. Both greedy and elegant, it expresses pastry notes and aromas of fresh fruit: nougat, frangipane, candied orange, and mirabelle plum. A delicate note of passe-crassane pear carrying a touch of Williams pear liqueur can be guessed. A tonic wine, with a nice tension around the aromas of fresh fruits. Nectarine, yellow peach, and a tangy note of rhubarb develop in the mouth. The end of the mouth is clean, frank, saline, and mineral leaving a touch of bitterness and verbena.
Review:
Having retained all its youthful acidity because there was no malolactic fermentation, the Champagne is brilliantly lit. Acidity and a light texture from the Pinot Noir in the blend give the wine a crisp edge with still-young citrus.
-Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
A firm, focused version, this swathes a chiseled spine of acidity in a raw, silky texture and finely meshed flavors of yellow peach, orange liqueur, honeycomb and chopped almond. A rich streak of salinity drives the well-cut, spiced finish. Drink now through 2035.
-Wine Spectator 94 Points
Stonestreet Estate Vineyards Rockfall Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sourced from one of our highest elevation vineyards, the 2017 Rockfall Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon features a true wildness that expresses the rugged growing site 2,000ft above the fog line. Elegant aromas of blueberries, cassis, graphite and black tea with complex undercurrents of baking spices. This wine balances power with elegance through to its savory palate with a generous structure and ample tannins. The structure of this wine allows for many years of cellar aging to continue to bring out nuanced flavors and complexity.
Review:
The Rockfall Vineyard is between 2,000 and 2,200-feet in elevation, and the wine that originates there is powerful and concentrated in style, with robust red-fruit and mineral tones. Herbal and classic, it shows elegance and integrated oak and tannin within its context of intensity and structure. Enjoy best from 2027–2037. Virginie Boone
-Wine Enthusiast 96 Points
Mason Cellars Pelissa Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2020 Mason Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is quintessentially Oakville from nose to finish. Attractive fresh blackberry, red current and chocolate with a hint of sweet oak boast out of the glass. This wine showcases graphite, velvety tannins and concentrated, beautifully balanced flavors with a bit of spice and white pepper. These bold flavors typical of Oakville Cabernet are rounded out with velvety tannins, a weighty mid-palate and a long, juicy finish.
Production Notes:
The fruit was delicately hand-picked in the early morning hours and brought into the winery for processing. The grapes were crushed, about 60% whole berry, and cold soaked for three days before being inoculated for primary and malo-lactic fermentation. Once dry, the wine was put down to barrel for 20 months in medium toast French oak, 25% of which was new.
Vineyard Notes:
Grapes for our 2020 Mason Cabernet Sauvignon are sourced exclusively from the Pelissa Vineyard in Oakville. This vineyard spans 60 acres and is planted to Old BV Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon as well as Zinfandel. This vineyard is named for Andrew and Babe Pelissa, who after their marriage on August 30, 1930, made their home at the site of this vineyard which, at the time, was a dairy. Oakville is the core of Napa Valley’s famed Cabernet Sauvignon production, and this site is no exception with the flawless blending of climate and soil to create a remarkable wine.
Review:
“This firmly structured, well-balanced wine has the feel of a classic Bordeaux blend. Just-ripe red and black fruits blend with subtle toast, cedar and mint on a moderately tannic, slightly tangy texture. The wine is tasty enough to decant and drink soon with grilled lamb chops or roast chicken. Best from 2026–2036.” – Jim Gordon
-Wine Enthusiast 94 Points