2008 Champagne Gosset Celebris Rosé Brut

In 1584, Pierre Gosset, alderman of Aÿ and wine grower, made mainly red, still wines from the harvest of his own vineyards. This makes Gosset the oldest winery in Champagne. However, in the 18th century, the production of still wines made in and around Aÿ changed to sparkling. Malolactic fermentation is carefully avoided in order to preserve the malic acid, which provides the natural fruity aromas. Gosset assembles the best Crus of the Marne district (Grand Crus and Premier Crus), with an average classification of 95% on the official Cru scale ("échelle des crus").

The grapes for this Champagne come mainly from the following communes/Cru's: Aÿ, Bouzy, Ambonnay, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Villers-Marmery.....Gosset only uses the best Cru's from the Marne district with an average classification of 95% on the official quality scale.

The brilliant 2008 Celebris Rosé Extra Brut could better be described as "œil de perdrix", so subtle is its hue; cellar master Odilon de Varine noted that the idea behind the wine was not so much to produce a rosé, but to produce a Celebris with more depth and richness. The wine floats from the glass with a beautiful bouquet of yellow orchard fruit, beeswax, pain d'epices and clear honey, followed by a full, broad and crisply fleshy palate with a deep and tight core, a bright back of acidity and a long, mineral finish. The dosage for the Celebris Rosé 2008 Extra Brut is 5 grams per litre. Malolactic fermentation is deliberately avoided, in order to retain as much of the primary fruit as possible in the wine. The Celebris is only made in the best years and is given a very long maturation. The wine is kept in the cellars for at least 6 years, before disgorgement and then another 5-6 years of cellar maturation. In this case more than 12 years because the 2008 Gosset Celebris Rosé Extra Brut only became available in 2021.