2012 Gosset Grand Millesimes

Gosset's 2012 Brut Grand Millésime offers a terrific expression of the year in its toasted, open-knit personality. Pastry, orchard fruit, spice and light tropical accents all grace this translucent, alluring Champagne from Gosset. The 2012 has plenty of the energy Gosset fans will expect, but slightly softer contours that make the wine easy to drink and enjoy upon release.

This offers spiced berry-biscuit aromas and a toasted hazelnut and brioche edge. Berry pastry, too. The palate has a suave, sleek and smooth texture. Finely honed and finishes dry. Flavor and focus here. Drink or hold.

Since Gosset makes a point of commercializing wines only when they deem them ready, the 2012 Grand Millésime Brut will be released at the end of this year, while the 2010 and 2008 continue to wait in the wings. The wine is still quite tightly wound after its recent disgorgement, unfurling in the glass with a youthful bouquet of warm biscuits, apple, lemon and peach that picks up a more pronounced smoky top note as the wine sits in the glass. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, broad and powerful, with a deep and concentrated core, incisive acids and a precise, saline finish. This is a muscular vintage of the Grand Millésime that seems likely to evolve slowly.