Louis Latour Agencies

CELEBRIS Rosé 2008: wine before the bubbles

04 October 2021

More than just a Champagne, Gosset Celebris Rosé 2008 is first and foremost a great wine in its own right. This exceptional cuvée embodies the House’s unique expertise in choosing and blending terroirs to perfection. The meticulous artistry on display here is orchestrated by the cellar masters in a bid to select the plots worthy of a great wine infused with Gosset’s trademark style. Gosset Celebris is the fruit of a remarkable harvest. Upon harvest, the must undergoes blind tastings that shape the cuvée, in which texture, freshness, minerality, depth, structure, and longevity are all key. Harvests that meet the conditions for producing this prestigious cuvée and full expression of the Gosset style are few and far between.

This vintage is only the fourth edition of Gosset Celebris Rosé to see the light of day in the past twenty-five years. This exclusive cuvée is available in a limited edition of just 15,000 bottles. The CG-monogrammed bottle elevates the identity of the House’s most prestigious cuvées. In a full, expansive expression of the Gosset spirit, Celebris marks four centuries of masterful craftsmanship in the art of vinification, blending, and ageing exceptional crus with the House having produced just seven white wine vintages and four rosé wine vintages since the very first cuvée crafted from the 1988 harvest. This highest-quality production stands out in its sense of rare exclusivity.

The French term célèbre was invented by Rabelais in 1532 as a way of describing a person or a thing “whose name is known everywhere” and forms the root of the 20th-century superlative célébrissime, the inspiration for our Celebris. The cuvée also served as the physical embodiment of a dream once harboured by Albert Gosset, one of the founders of Rochas and the fragrance house’s nose, too.

A crystal-clear, luminous coppery shade that points to the many years spent ageing in cellars. The nose is full of Strawberry jam aromas lifted by black pepper and a menthol touch, lingering on with ripe peach, nectarine and apricot. A full-bodied tautness with flavours of ripe black cherry shot through with a blood orange note that provides a flash of enticing tangy freshness. The blend is dominated by an iodic, salty finish reminiscent of the mineral crispness of the Chardonnay.

Gosset Celebris Rosé 2008 pairs well with mushrooms, foie gras, poultry, lobster, strawberries, and citrus fruit. Give your creativity and sense of adventure free rein and experiment with any other pairing you may wish to try.

Structure: 72% Chardonnay and 28% Pinot Noir, of which 8% is red wine (Ambonnay, Cumières, Bouzy)

Cellared: June 2009

Disgorgement: April 2021

Villages: Ambonnay, Avize, Aÿ, Bouzy, Cramant, Cuis, Cumières, Trépail, Vertus, Villers-Marmery

Dosage: 6.5g/L

 

“It took us thirteen years of work to strike the right balance with this cuvée.” Odilon de Varine

 

Vintage 2008: The weather and climate this year were complex, to say the least. This vintage’s unique personality stems from the weather that unfolded when the grapes were harvested. This year brought dry and sunny days, with temperatures turning cool upon nightfall. The resulting wines are elegant, lively, and structured, with stunning potential for ageing.

Founded in 1584 by Pierre Gosset, the oldest Wine House in Champagne has been synonymous with excellence and expertise ever since. No fewer than seventeen generations of winemakers have come to pass, shaping an incisive approach to Grands Vins de Champagne wines. With its sweeping curves and voluptuous body, the iconic Gosset bottle has remained unchanged since 1760. Time is one of the most decisive ingredients in the Gosset Celebris cuvées and runs deeper than merely sitting back and waiting. In the land of Celebris, the time zones vary in step with the cellar master’s various areas of expertise, from dreaming and designing the cuvée to come, to the drive and determination required to see the cellar-ageing process through to the end – no fewer than ten years. This tightly woven network of expertise paves the way for the Gosset Celebris to express its full aromatic complexity, its roundness and depth, and its delicate finesse. Time is both the soul and beating heart of Celebris, giving this exceptional cuvée the space it needs to express its style.