Gosset

Gosset is the oldest wine house in Champagne. Pierre Gosset, an alderman of the village of Aÿ, set up as a wine producer in 1584, centuries before the region's wines sparkled, and the house has carried on ever since. It remains independent, owned since 1994 by the Renaud-Cointreau family of Cognac Frapin, and based in Epernay since 2009.

The style leans on long ageing and wines with real depth, made as much for the table as the aperitif. Petite Douceur, the cuvée we stock, is a lovely oddity: a rosé blended from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, aged eleven years on its lees, then finished extra dry, a shade sweeter than brut. That gentle touch of sweetness makes it one of the few Champagnes that genuinely suits pudding as well as a summer afternoon.