Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses is one of the most historically significant and genuinely distinctive prestige Champagnes produced anywhere in the appellation, drawn from a 5.5-hectare single-vineyard monopole on a dramatically steep, south-facing slope above the Marne river near Marëuil-sur-Aÿ. The Clos des Goisses monopole has been in Philipponnat’s hands since 1935, and the wine produced from its exceptional terroir, a combination of chalk and the intense sun exposure of this unusually steep south-facing site, is consistently regarded as among the most structured, powerful and age-worthy wines produced in the Champagne appellation. The LV designation on this 1994 expression refers to a ‘Late Vintage’ release, indicating that the wine was held at the estate for an extended period beyond the normal release timeline, developing additional complexity and secondary character from its additional time on the lees or in bottle prior to disgorgement. A 1994 Clos des Goisses LV, therefore, represents wine from a vintage that is now over thirty years from harvest, with all the development and evolution that time in the estate’s cellars and then in bottle provides.

The 1994 Champagne vintage was not considered a classic year in comparison with 1990 or 1996, but the Clos des Goisses’ exceptional terroir and Philipponnat’s commitment to extended ageing have historically produced wines that transcend the general vintage assessment. The steep slope’s exceptional drainage, heat retention and south-facing sun exposure produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of unusual ripeness and concentration even in challenging years, and the wine’s extended ageing at the estate will have added a depth of autolytic complexity and secondary development that renders the vintage character less relevant than the wine’s individual constitution and the extraordinary terroir that produced it. At over thirty years from harvest, this is a wine at the most developed and complex stage of its Champagne life.

Clos des Goisses, in any vintage and at any stage of its development, occupies a position in the fine Champagne market as one of the appellation’s most intellectually compelling propositions: a monopole single-vineyard wine of genuine Burgundian ambition from a house with an unbroken commitment to this exceptional site since 1935. A 1994 LV release provides access to a wine of rare age and development that the finest mature Champagne collectors will immediately recognise as exceptional.

Deep amber gold with fine, long-lived bubbles and a profoundly complex nose of roasted hazelnut, honey, preserved lemon, mushroom, walnuts, coffee, dried herbs and the distinctive deep mineral character of aged Clos des Goisses Champagne at full development. Full-bodied with extraordinary vinosity, excellent residual natural acidity and a very long, complex, nutty, mineral finish. Best now through 2030.