The 2012 Brut Celebris is one of the most polished Champagnes I have tasted from Gosset in some time. Plenty of energy and acidity have long been signatures of this prestige cuvée, but a bit more meat on the bones keeps the wine from veering into the realm of the excessively austere, as was sometimes the case in the past. Dried lemon confit, chamomile, white pepper and salt all race across the palate. I very much admire the energy here. This blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir spent ten years on lees and saw a dosage of 5.5 grams per liter.

The 2012 Celebris makes its case as the finest release of the house in recent times, marrying taut and precise Chardonnay (that includes the freshness of cooler crus Cuis and Grauves) with a supporting frame of fragranced Pinot Noir to delicate yet persistently complex effect. Toasted almond, citrus peel and ripe pear are brought forward by sweet, fragrant cherry, strawberry tart and orange blossom notes, the structure narrow but filled out with subtle nougat richness and a powdery, chalky length. A quiet, elegant mousse. Integrated, focused and ageworthy. 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir from the southern and eastern Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs with 10 years on lees.

he ninth time the Celebris has been produced in over 400 years, the 2012 Champagne Celebris is exceptional, with layered complexity in its aromas of quince, fresh apple blossoms, and pure honey without being oxidative. Medium to full-bodied, it is gorgeous through the palate, with a supple, stony texture, pure with chalk, and an even spine of fresh acidity through the long finish. It’s another exceptional wine in the range to enjoy over the coming three decades.<!--more-->The oldest wine house in Champagne, established by Pierre Gosset in 1584 in Ay, Gosset was purchased by Reynaud-Cointreau in 1993. Today the chef de cave is Odilon de Varine, formerly of Deutz and Henriot, and the philosophy is to adapt to each year and not to get stuck in the past. Each of the growers’ plots are fermented separately and malolactic fermentation is entirely blocked, working with the lees to create roundness in the wines instead. The house has gradually shifted from being predominantly a Pinot Noir house to that of Chardonnay. Total annual production is approximately 1 million bottles, although they have the capacity to produce 1.5 million. They hold a considerable stock of reserve wine going back 60 years, alleviating the pressures to put out more quantity. This year marks the first release ever for the Celebris Blanc de Blancs.

(95+ points) Gosset's emblematic Chardonnay-dominant 2012 Extra-Brut Celebris is a more than worthy successor to the 2008, unwinding in the glass with aromas of citrus oil, verbena, freshly baked bread, green apple and wet stones, followed by a medium to full-bodied, deep and incisive palate that's layered, concentrated and tensile, with a tangy spine of acidity (the house's trademark) and a long, saline finish.

The Celebris 2012 Brut emerges gracefully from the glass with poached yellow apple, kumquat, puff pastry, and vanilla cream notes. The medium to full-bodied palate has buoyant acid freshness and a bright salinity that highlights juicy red fruit, morello cherry and citrus notes. This 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir blend is aged a minimum of ten years in cellar, finished with a 5.5 gram per liter dosage, then cellared an additional nine months before release. The bottle tasted was disgorged in March 2023. 25,000 bottles were produced.

A fresh Champagne, with a fine, lively mousse, this shows a seamlessly knit range of blackberry, grilled macadamia nut and preserved lemon flavors, while a tangy hint of sea salt crackles on the lingering finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Drink now through 2033. 150 cases imported.