Gosset Champagne Celebris Extra Brut / 2008 / 1.5L

Description:

Gosset Celebris Extra Brut 2008 is a taut, deeply flavoured vintage Champagne from the historic Épernay house, released in magnum and built on tension rather than richness. Twelve years on lees have given it depth and a savoury, biscuity core, while the barely-there dosage keeps the whole thing lean and driven.

Aromas run to white peach, lemon oil, toasted hazelnut and warm pastry, with the dried-flower and chamomile lift that comes with proper bottle age. The palate carries stone fruit and citrus through a fine, persistent bead, picking up salted almond and a faint honeyed note towards the back.

Gosset blocks malolactic fermentation, and it shows: acidity here is bright and unbuffered, drawing the wine out long and chalky. The extra brut finish is dry and mineral, with none of the sweetness that might soften the 2008's famous structure. The 1.5L format slows maturation further, so this magnum is a genuinely long-haul proposition.

Pour it with raw scallops, king prawns, a whole roast chicken or a plate of aged comté. It has the weight for richer dishes too — poached crayfish, mushroom risotto, or a soft-centred triple cream.

Drinking beautifully now, this magnum of the 2008 Celebris Extra Brut has the acid backbone and reserve to reward cellaring through to 2038 and beyond.