Thanks Johnny for the nice photos!

Grape proportions: 70% PN, 30% CH

Tasted in April, 2010

From the color and shape of the cork, I reckon this bottle is lately disgorged, maybe 3 to 5 years ago.

Served upon uncorking. Surprisingly pale in color, with streams of regularly spaced fine bubbles leisurely rising to the surface. Again this is proof of late disgorgement.

Direct charm right from the very beginning. Powerful nose with honey, nut and chalky minerality all wrapped by dense, concentrated dark fruits. But even under such heavy lid of dark fruits, some discreet notes of grass and gooseberry, so typical of Philipponnat cuvees, make their way through.

The first attack on the palate confirms the nose: just powerful! Concentrated, honeyed dark fruits are firmly backed up by the hard-core of chalky minerality. The mid palate is charged with seductive coffee flavor, with mineral finesse on the aftertaste.

But the wine develops bit too fast in the glass. Just 10 minutes or so after first pouring, the waves of dark fruits subside on the palate, leaving behind only the stony minerality and discreet coffee tone, while, by contrast, the nose becomes quite oily.

Another 10 minutes, the nose evolves towards lovely bouquet of white chocolate and butter. And the palate melts down: there is no longer any stringency of minerality, instead full of fat, soft, caressing layers of dark fruits and coffee.

Good experience. But definitely not a great vintage for Clos des Goisses. 89’s lack of acidity and structure is clearly evidenced here. So it’s not difficult to understand why Philipponnat chose to do first fermentation of 89 Clos des Goisses entirely in steel vats, instead of seeing any oak.