Champagne decanter "Long Lady", decanting Clos des Goisses 1997

                                                                                                       Photo courtesy: Johnny

Champagne Clos des Goisses 1997 by Philipponnat

Grape proportions: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay

Tasted in mid Oct, 2009

Partly decanted for around 10 minutes before serving; the rest by bottle breathing in ice-bucket for comparison.

Quite deep in color for her age --  golden robe with amber hue. I guess that reflects the maturity and concentration of grapes from the much blessed single vineyard location: quite steep slopes facing the river!

Comparison between the decanted and the bottle-breathed parts:

1. After 10 minutes decantation, the nose opens up and constantly evolves in the glass, which is a true bonus, BUT the palate feels bit too soft without much firm structural support. So this 1997 Goisses cannot really stand up to decantation now...

2. Luckily, the bottle-breathed and well chilled part does show. Initially the nose is green and acidic with notes of grass, gooseberry and green apple, then it gradually opens up to smoky mineral, black currants and further evloves towards coffee, exotic spice and then honey, oak and roasted nuts. The palate has a strong mineral print and coffee length, charged with exciting, electrifying mousse!

Tom Stevenson once commented on Clos des Goisses 1997 as "seemingly without the fruit", now I see what he meant. The 97 is not a great Clos des Goisses, but still personal and interesting to me.