Champagne Gosset with French Cheeses

Oh, how I love champagne and cheese. They’re probably both in my Top 10 favorite indulgences– in addition to cake, of course!

Last night, I took my friend, Jen, to the Champagne Gosset with French Cheeses event at Gordon’s Fine Wine & Culinary Center in Waltham:

A rare opportunity to showcase the beautiful wines of Gosset, the oldest wine house in Champagne. Founded in 1584, Gosset is one of the smaller producers of luxury champagne, but what it lacks in volume it amply makes up for in quality and prestige. For many collectors and connoisseurs around the world Gosset is quite simply the ultimate name in luxury champagne.

Adrien Fleurant, the National Sales Manager of French wines for Palm Bay, hosted the champagne portion of the event. He had a wonderful French accent and he was very handsome! What can I say, I love the Frenchmen!

Mike Clark, the Specialty Foods Team Leader at the River Street Whole Foods in Cambridge, shared his cheese knowledge with us. He bought a killer selection of French cheeses– along with his passion and knowledge for them. Mike knew everything about cheese! It was quite impressive!

All of the cheeses that Mike selected were of the highest quality and some were very unique. Of course, I loved them all!

Some highlights:

• Tome fleur verte: Non-pressed goat milk cheese rubbed with herb d’ Provence
• Brie de Meaux: Thermalized woodsy brie, runny, and pungent.
• Brillat Savarin: A rarity. A thermalized triple creme. Slightly sour on the finish.
• Saint Agur: High fat, fruity blue cheese. Perfect for dessert wines.

We tasted 5 different kinds of Gosset Champagne:

• Brut Excellence
• Grande Reserve
• Grand Rose
• 1999 Grand Millesime
• 1998 Celebris

At a time when many top champagne houses are owned by corporate conglomerates, Gosset remains a reassuring hold-out, a family-owned company in which family members are directly and personally involved.

Significantly, and unlike most other houses, Gosset champagnes do not undergo malolactic fermentation, resulting in heightened acidity, slower maturing wines and that inimitable Gosset style — powerful and full-bodied, of unrivaled richness and staying power — in other words, some of the world’s most legendary Champagne.

I enjoyed all of the champagnes, but my favorite was the 1998 Celebris.

Apparently, I have expensive taste. The 1998 Celebris was $175 a bottle! I don’t think it’ll be tasting it again anytime soon.

Last night was a great opportunity to try some fancy champagnes and delicious cheeses. The holidays seem to call for bubbly, don’t they? Tis the season!

Tagged as: 1998 Celebris, Champagne Gosset with French Cheeses, Gordon's Wine and Liquors