I’ll fully admit I am a lucky dude. Every so often I have the chance to open some top Champagne and check on its development. ‘Comtes de Champagne’ is the top wine produced by Taittinger. A ‘Blanc de Blancs’ wine, this is always crafted from Chardonnay grapes but this story dates back to the seventeenth century. The legend of the ‘Comtes de Champagne’ (Counts of Champagne) from the 13th century is a narrative of an assumed reality, combined with the storyteller’s imagination and poetry. Thibaud IV le Chansonnier ‘The Comtes’ Count Thibaud IV, King of Navarre, embodied the height of the political, economic and artistic influence of Champagne from 1222 to 1253.
The wine is sourced from the Côte des Blancs region and more specifically Chardonnay grapes from the Grands Crus of the Côte des Blancs region, including the villages of Avize, Cramant, Chouilly, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. The wine was first made in 1952 and is only made in top vintages. The wine is stored in only 5% new French oak barrels and is stored for at least ten years before disgorgement and then release.
I’ve had to taste the 2008 Taittinger ‘Comtes de Champagne’ several times this year. For my palate this beautiful wine flirts with perfection. It has magical weight, finesse and a finish that won’t stop. If you have a chance to try this beautiful wine from an utterly epic vintage, I beseech you to check this one out. Here is my review of the 2008 Taittinger ‘Comtes de Champagne.’
2008 Taittinger ‘Comtes de Champagne’ Blanc de Blancs Champagne- I have long admired this beautiful ‘Comtes de Champagne’ sourced from only Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte de Blancs region. This is now the third time I have visited this beautiful wine and it is even better than when it was first released more than a year ago. Toasty Challah bread and lemon zest fill the nose alongside shades of wild mushroom and pine needles. The palate is exceedingly viscous and vinous with incredible depth and concentration, yet feeling utterly weightless. Wait for the exceedingly long finish that won’t stop. Gorgeous to consume now, this has at lest another twenty years in front of it. Drink 2021-2041- 99