Gosset: Grande Réserve, Grand Rosé, Zéro Dosage or Célébris — which cuvée should you choose from the oldest Champagne house?

There is one bottle in a cellar that you can recognise from a distance: bulbous, with a sloping shoulder, modelled on^18th-century bottles. It is the Gosset bottle, and it says it all — the house is older than champagne itself. Pierre Gosset sold his wines in Aÿ in 1584; the bubbles would arrive a century later. This guide explains what makes the Gosset style unique, then reviews the range, from the Grande Réserve to the Célébris, with prices as found in our cellar.

Gosset, the oldest Champagne house

Founded in Aÿ in 1584 and now based in Épernay, Gosset has been owned by the Renaud-Cointreau family since 1994, and its cellar master, Odilon de Varine, upholds two principles that define the house’s style: no malolactic fermentation — the house preserves the grapes’ natural acidity, whereas almost all others round it off — and a minimum of four years in the cellar before disgorgement, well beyond the statutory fifteen months. The result: crisp, fruity, vinous champagnes that age remarkably well. Aÿ, where it all began, is also home to Bollinger andHenri Giraud, two other houses of character; our article on the Champagne classification explains why this grand cru is so important.

The range at a glance

Grande Réserve: the house’s signature

The Grande Réserve (€44.35) is the Gosset you simply must try: predominantly Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for the fruit, refreshed by Chardonnay, and matured on lees without oxidation. Ripe apple, fresh brioche, white peach, with a ‘subtle and refined’ structure, as the house describes it — in other words, a brut with real substance, equally at home with fish as with poultry. For a large gathering, the magnum (€104.90) ages even better, as explained in our guide to magnums of champagne.

Zéro Dosage: Gosset’s brut nature

The Zero Dosage (€55.85) is a brut nature, with no added sugar, blended from grands crus and premiers crus. With no malolactic fermentation and no dosage, one might fear it would be austere; in fact, the opposite is true: marzipan, ripe lemon, bergamot, a hint of salted butter caramel when aerated, a lively yet enveloping palate and a briny finish. The perfect champagne for oysters and sushi, and our favourite brut nature from a prestigious house — our other brut nature champagnes are listed under ‘champagnes for aperitifs’.

Grand Blanc de Blancs and Grand Rosé

The Grand Blanc de Blancs (€61.90) combines the finesse of the Côte des Blancs with the structure of the Montagne de Reims, in the house style: crisp fruit, tension, minerality. A blanc de blancs that accompanies an entire meal, and which pairs with oysters like few others. The Grand Rosé (€61.90) is a blended rosé with a high proportion of Chardonnay, coloured by red wines from Bouzy and Ambonnay: luminous salmon pink, fresh red fruits, structure — just as at home as an aperitif as it is with a meal. Our other rosés stand up to comparison.

Rosé Suzanne: a tribute in a clear bottle

Rosé Suzanne (€62.90) pays tribute to Suzanne Gosset, who ran the house from 1955 to 1965 and, in 1947, did something unprecedented at the time: presenting a rosé champagne in a clear glass bottle to showcase its colour. This cuvée takes up the idea — a vibrant coral colour in the clear bottle, with notes of dried strawberry, white peach and citrus — and makes an elegant gift for under €65.

Célébris: the prestige cuvées

Célébris is produced only in exceptional vintages and in limited quantities: the Célébris Vintage 2012 (€228.90) is just the ninth release in thirty-five years. Aged for over ten years in the cellar: white flowers, candied lemon, pastry notes, a hint of pepper that develops into chalk and lime blossom — the quintessence of the style, taut and deep. The Célébris Blanc de Blancs 2012 (€258) is the Chardonnay version: fresh mint, pink grapefruit, frangipane, followed by notes of a great white Burgundy — chalk, lime blossom, white pepper — and a palate of tarte tatin and roasted apple. The Célébris Rosé 2008 (€178), from a vintage year and aged for ten years, offers candied orange, strawberry, white pepper and a hint of menthol: a gourmet rosé to pair with duck or lamb. Our article on Gosset’s new exceptional cuvée recounts the origins of the series; all our vintage wines are listed in the catalogue.

Which Gosset cuvée for which occasion?

Every day, as an aperitif or with a meal: Grande Réserve — this is the cuvée that makes people fall in love with the house. Oysters, seafood, Japanese cuisine: Zéro Dosage or Grand Blanc de Blancs. Festive meals: Grand Rosé with fish, Célébris Vintage with truffled poultry. Gift: Rosé Suzanne for its history and bottle design, Célébris Blanc de Blancs 2012 to mark a special occasion. Cellar: the Célébris range, aged fifteen to twenty years — the absence of malolactic fermentation ensures they age slowly and gracefully.

Serving and storage

A Gosset should be served slightly less chilled than an ordinary brut, so that the effervescence does not dominate: 9 °C for the Grande Réserve, the Zero Dosage and the rosés; 10 to 11 °C for the Célébris, in a tulip glass or a white wine glass. Open a Célébris half an hour beforehand. Store bottles lying down, in the dark, at between 10 and 12 °C (our advice). The prices shown are those recorded in our cellar on the date of publication; the Célébris and the magnum are available in limited quantities.