Ex Brut Clos Gois 750ML

The 2016 Ex Brut Clos Gois is a vintage-dated sparkling wine built around restraint — low dosage, high acid, and the kind of structural tension that only comes from a single walled vineyard site. "Clos" designations are rare for a reason: they mark a specific, delineated parcel, often one that's been farmed as a distinct plot for generations, and this bottling treats that distinction seriously by keeping intervention to a minimum and letting the 2016 growing season speak clearly through the glass. 2016 was not an easy vintage in much of Europe's cooler wine country — a cold, wet spring gave way to a long, dry summer that rewarded patient growers who waited out the early pressure. The result here is a wine with real backbone: it's taut rather than plush, with a chalky, mineral-driven spine underneath notes of green apple, preserved lemon, and crushed stone. The "Ex Brut" (extra brut) dosage means almost no sugar is masking the acidity, so what you're tasting is the fruit and the site, not a sweetened-up version of either. Expect a fine, persistent bead and a long, dry finish that keeps you coming back for another sip rather than wearing out its welcome. This is a sparkling wine for people who find standard brut Champagne or cava a little soft — pour it for anyone who wants bubbles with teeth. It's an excellent match for oysters and other raw shellfish, grilled white fish, soft-ripened cheeses like a triple-crème or young Comté, or simply on its own as an aperitif before a meal that's going to lean savory. Because the dosage is so low, it also holds up surprisingly well next to fried foods — the acid cuts right through the richness. We don't see a lot of single-clos extra brut bottlings come through at Off Premise, and this one's worth grabbing if you're curious about how a specific vineyard and a specific, slightly difficult vintage can show up in a glass of sparkling wine.