Score: 94/100
The Comtes de Champagne Cuvée is without a doubt one of the most iconic Champagne sparkling wines from France you can buy, and it’s not the most expensive one at that!
It is for sure the icon of Champagne Taittinger house which is in itself an icon in the French Champagne region.
This is THE Prestige Cuvée by Taittinger, made only in vintages that are judges as exceptional in the area and for the selected vineyards.
The grapes for this wine come exclusively from Grand Cru sites in the Côtes des Blancs zone, the most reputable area for Chardonnay in Champagne.
For this 2006, 5% of the final blend was aged for 4 months in oak barrels (a third of wich are replaced every year), while the rest remained in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness of the fruit.
Prior to disgorgement, the Blanc de Blancs (meaning is made exclusively from Chardonnay, a white grape variety) is aged for 10 years on lees in bottle in 13th-century chalk cellars that were once the property of the Saint Nicaise abbey.
So how good is this 2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne ?
The answer is in the tasting notes:
The wine comes in a rather intense ripe-melon yellow color, with golden hues. It does look luxurious, just by the appearance.
There’s an intense nose displaying a wealth of complex aromas. Nutty characters (walnut, toasted hazelnut) are dominant, together with flinty notes.
They’re completed by fruity citrus aromas of lime and hearty confit orange peel tones.
The palate is the real standout in this wine. It combines power of flavors and concentration, with lightness in the feel, and absolute balance.
Like on the nose, the flavors are hearty with warm citrus notes giving the wine a sweet fruit edge, but plenty of savory feel as well from nutty doughy brioche characters balance the flavors profile for a perfectly sweet/savory impression.
Acidity is there but never to be felt as such, as it is so well-balanced by good body and the finest bubbles you’ve ever experienced in a sparkling wine. The whole feels very light, like a cloud that would disappear in your mouth, letting out a burst of complex and layered flavors.
The complexity and evanescence of this wine makes it actually quite hard to describe.
The fact is rather than analyzing it, its lightness makes you want to enjoy it simply rather than thinking about it too hard…
A wine to enjoy then… a wine to experience !
My Twitter friends Looove… Taittinger Comtes de Champagne
It's Prestige #Champagne & Celebration Time…
Cos Life's Worth It…. !! Always…@TaittingerUSA #winelover pic.twitter.com/oBPFRdt4C0— Julien Miquel #Wine (@JMiquelWine) July 23, 2016
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