Hors Bordeaux tasting notes: Champagne
db‘s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay reviews the Champagnes that are starting to hit the market as part of this year’s La Place Hors Bordeaux campaign.
A note on the tasting notes: As regular readers will know, I am the Bordeaux and la place de Bordeaux correspondent of The Drinks Business. My specialism is Bordeaux, in particular, and northern Europe (especially Piedmont and Tuscany), secondarily. This should perhaps be born in mind when it comes to my tasting notes for other regions with which I am less familiar and which I encounter primarily through la place. My notes, as ever, are those of an enthusiast and a wine-lover and, for these regions above all, they are best read as such. All of the following wines were tasted either in Bordeaux at the offices of the courtiers or négociants bringing these wines to the international market, at trade tastings in London, at the property itself, or in Paris, from samples sent directly from the property – and, in many cases, multiple times.
NYT – not yet tasted (with tasting notes to appear in a later article).
| Champagne releases | Vintage | Region | New? | Rating |
| Joyau Extra Brut (Boizel) | 2013 | Champagne | No | 94 |
| Château d’Avize (Leclerc Briant) | 2015 | Champagne | No | 96 |
| Clos Lanson (Lanson) | 2011 | Champagne | No | 97+ |
| Clos des Goisses (Philipponnat) | 2016 | Champagne | No | 97 |
| Clos des Goisses L. V. (Philipponnat) | 2000 | Champagne | No | 96 |
| Clos des Goisses Juste Rosé (Philipponnat) | 2015 | Champagne | No | 98 |
| Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs | 2015 | Champagne | No | 95 |
| Barons de Rothschild Rosé | 2015 | Champagne | No | 94 |
| *La Vigne aux Gamins (Thiénot) | 2014 | Champagne | No | 96 |
* – an exclusivity of the négociant CVBG
Joyau Extra Brut 2013 (Champagne; 55% Pinot Noir, from Mailly, Cumières and Chigny-les-Rose; 45% Chardonnay from Avize, Chouilly and Vertus; dosage of 3.5 g/L; disgorged November 2024; 12% alcohol; tasted twice, first at the Joanne hors Bordeaux tasting and then at Boizel’s courtier in Bordeaux – the latter rather fresher and less evolved). All sourced from Boizel’s grand and premiers cru holdings. On the nose, this is quite truffly and evolved in a way, the more so with aeration. I’d have liked to taste this younger as, although there is plenty of fresh fruit present here, it rather quickly finds itself in competition for interest with – and in danger of being overwhelmed by – the secondary aromatic notes. On the palate, this immediately feels younger. It’s all citrus and, consequently, fresher, brighter and more lifted – in short, more youthful. The Pinot Noir brings a lot of viscosity to this, almost a certain austerity, underscored by the low dosage. There’s a pleasing toasted brioche note, a little almond skin and a hint of nougat that temper the citrus-fest. There’s also a little trace of champignon de Paris, but that is really the only reminder of the age of the release. A touch of basil and lemon thyme accentuate the citrus notes and white floral notes bring additional complexity. Delicate, lifted and finely chiselled, this is nicely done and likely present very good value. 94.
Chateau d’Avize Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru 2015 (Champagne Grand Cru; 100% Chardonnay; dosage of 2.3g/l; 12.5% alcohol). Nougat and candied fruits. White flowers. A wild herbal note. Thyme. This is richer and fuller than Boizel’s Joyau, at least on the attack. That is, until the chalky acidity and the slight hint of tannin engage and rein this in, building the sense of tension that defines the mid-palate. Rich but taut. Shapely on the attack but with that energising acidity vivifying the mid-palate. Excellent. 96.
Clos Lanson 2011 (Champagne; 100% Chardonnay; dosage of 4 g/l; disgorged in September 2024; 12.5% alcohol; certified biodynamic). The 6th vintage of this wine. Almost the most terroir-driven champagne on la place this year. Very distinctive and very vinous. Thai basil and basil, ginger and galangal. Subtle and delicate. Very structured by the chalky sub-soil. Lovely Angelique de Niort. Vertical. Aerial. Lithe but serious and slightly austere in its way. Tense and charged, this is a fabulous champagne once again from this exceptional terroir, beautifully expressed. 97+.
Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2016 (Champagne; 68% Pinot Noir; 32% Chardonnay; dosage of 4.25 g/l; 12.5% alcohol; 22,568 bottles, 1454 magnums and 101 jeroboams produced). Just incredible. A bit deceptive – as it seems at first less substantial than it is. Rich and plump, but fluffy and lifted too, with great mid-palate density. Very youthful and so not fully revealing its charms at this very early stage. Grapefruit. Toasted brioche. Pain perdu. Peach stone. A little wild strawberry from the Pinot Noir. Quite saline even for Clos des Goisses and hyper-mineral. Tense and more structured vertically with less reach and horizontal range. But the same concentration. Excellent. A champagne de garde. 97.
Partner Content
Philipponnat Clos des Goisses L.V. 2000 (Champagne; 61% Pinot Noir; 39% Chardonnay; dosage of 4.5 g/l; 12.5% alcohol; less than 1000 bottles). Charles Philipponnat’s first vintage. Youthful. Not really truffled yet, but with a little trompette de la mort. A little blood orange too. Nougat. Frangipane. Brioche. Crème brûlée with a touch of fleur de sel. On the palate a little white truffle. A touch of dry forest floor autumnal leafiness. Candyfloss. Wild strawberry again. A little citron pressé and confit white grapefruit rind. Fascinating in its complexity. 96.
Philipponnat Clos des Goisses Juste Rosé 2015 (Champagne; 84% Pinot Noir; 16% Chardonnay; disgorged March 2025; dosage of 4.5 g/l; just 1441 bottles produced). It’s just such a shame that there is so little of this, as it’s utterly divine. I’m not always the greatest admirer of vintage rosé Champagnes, but I’m always happy to make an exception for Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses – and the 2015 vintage is staggering. It’s powerful and sunny in its way and in that sense highly expressive of the vintage. But, more than anything, it’s just beautifully poised, delicate, aerial and oh so classy. The rose petal and wild strawberry and raspberry notes so finely complement one another. I love too, the delicate hint of shiso (a Japanese salad lead) and there’s also a very subtle hint of brioche, some delicate sweet spicing, a touch of angelica and a suggestion of rosewater and rose Turkish delight. Gracious and incredibly lifted on the nearly infinite finish. I’m in raptures. 98.
Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs 2015 (Champagne; 100% Chardonnay; dosage of 5 g/l; 12% alcohol). There’s plenty of lift here and, once again, I love the vertical structure that comes from the terroir. That brings freshness too, but one sense also the sunny character of the vintage. There’s an intriguing wild herbal element alongside the spring flowers. And a lovely note of candied fruits, fruit cake spices and even a hint of cinnamon. A little toasted brioche too. Grippy and tense, racy, vivid and dynamic. The best vintage of this. 95.
Barons de Rothschild Rosé 2015 (Champagne; 78% Pinot Noir; 22% Chardonnay; dosage of 4g/l; 12%). A delicate red berry fruit – wild strawberry and a little raspberry. A little nougat and angelica. Pink grapefruit. Toasted brioche and frangipane. I like this more than the previous release. The dosage is very well judged rendering this fresher than I remember it previously. Almost a little strict on the finish, but that’s what I want from this. 94.
Champagne Thiénot La Vigne aux Gamins 2014 (Champagne Grand Cru; 100% Chardonnay; pH 3.02; no malolactic fermentation and zero dosage; 8 g/litre of total acidity (tartaric acid); 12% alcohol; a unique single plot champagne, made since 1997 of half an hectare on the slopes of Avize; tasted with Nicolas Uriel, chef de caves, Thiénot over Zoom at the CVBG press tasting. A single plot of just less than 0.5 hectares in the Avize Grand Cru, with lovely 70 year old Chardonnay; disgorged in April 2023 after almost 10 years in bottle; 2700 bottles and 250 magnums). Quite late picked. As ever, this is energised and charged with minerality. It’s very shapely too in the mouth – an elongated lozenge beautifully framed by the citrus acidity. Intensely floral, but nothing about this is too intense. A trace of green leaf tea and maybe even Japanese toasted rice. White flowers. White grapefruit. Quince. I adore the aromatics of this. Subtle, delicate yet intense – I use the word again. Mimosa. Jasmine. A touch of almond skin. Fresh, bright, crisp and vertical. Angelica root. Fennel seed. Searingly fresh and intensely lifted. Hyper-fresh. Bright and crisp with a combination of white and red currants in a sea of citrus. Yuzu and tarte au citron. Lemon sorbet. I could go on … It’s beautiful. 96.
For the tasting notes on this year’s Hors Bordeaux campaigns, see here: Italy and Spain (reds); France (reds); USA (reds); Chile & Argentina (reds); Australia and New Zealand (reds); Germany; the whites; Champagne; sweet wines.
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