Gosset, Celebris Extra Brut 2008

The nose of the golden wine immediately radiates creaminess, a soft richness that is reminiscent of freshly baked apricot and almond tart and red apple flesh, laced with fine, heady notions of freshly zested Tarocco orange peel. The palate is as creamy as the nose suggests, yet has the poise and the beautiful, salty depth of 2008. A lovely phenolic edge reminds of bitter almond and apple pip, this sits well with the sinuous, toned and lightly salty richness, the ultra-fine mousse and that lovely streak of ripe lemon zest. Gorgeous.

The 2008 Extra-Brut Celebris offers up hints of apricot, brioche, baked apple tart, white pepper, chamomile and dried flowers. Extended time on the lees yields a Champagne with terrific flavor and textural complexity. This is an especially deep, vinous Champagne from Gosset. I would prefer to drink it at the dinner table, as it is a very serious wine.

Such a concise and laser-focused wine with tight layers of crushed stones, praline, frangipani flowers, green apples, lemons, hazelnuts, pastries and salted almonds. Very tight bubbles here. So clear and structured, with a long and mineral finish. Still reserved. 54% chardonnay and 46% pinot noir. 4.8g/L dosage. Drink or hold.

Only the fourth-ever release of this cuvée, the 2008 Champagne Celebris Rosé pours an orange/salmon color 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. Medium to full-bodied, it’s exquisitely detailed, with a soft mineral texture and a refined mousse. Though it is drinking beautifully already, this outstanding wine is going to improve if cellared in good condition. Drink it over the coming decades.

Gosset's just-released 2008 Extra-Brut Celebris is showing beautifully out of the gates, offering up sweet aromas of citrus oil, dried white flowers, warm biscuits and nougat, with hints of the dried fruits to come. Medium to full-bodied, racy and layered, with a firm core of fruit that's girdled by tangy acids and a long, penetrating finish, the house's typically tensile style is married with real flesh and weight.