First taste: Taittinger Comtes de Champagne new releases

This year, Champagne Taittinger has decided to release two bottlings of its iconic Comtes de Champagne: the classic Blanc de Blancs from the 2012 vintage, and a rosé Champagne from 2009.

As is well known, the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is made exclusively with Chardonnay, using grapes from five specific terroirs of the Côte des Blancs sector: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Oger.

The Côte des Blancs is a strip of land stretching some 20km south of Épernay that is celebrated for its chalky bedrock, which leaves a pronounced imprint on its Champagnes.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Taittinger Comtes de Champagne new releases

2012 has turned out to be an excellent vintage in Champagne, but as Taittinger sees it, it was a year of contrasts, as it was ‘marked by a succession of extreme climate incidents that proved to be particularly trying on the vines,’ the house reported.

There were outbreaks of frost in February, followed by a period of mild weather in May, which was marked by hailstorms that randomly hit the area from April to July. ‘Then came a spell of sunshine without excess, and this, along with low yields, enabled the grapes to reach a rare level of ripeness,’ says Taittinger.

The consensus opinion is that the 2012 vintage is of very high quality and has produced wines with great ageing potential. This is certainly true for the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2012, which unquestionably has the capacity to not only last but also improve over the next 15 to 45 years, or even more for the most patient and daring consumers.

As for the pink-hued Comtes de Champagne 2009, it is, of course, produced using a mix of grape varieties. For this vintage, it is a blend composed of 30% Chardonnay sourced from grand cru villages in the Côte des Blancs sector and 70% Pinot Noir from similarly ranked villages of the Montagne de Reims area, of which 12% is Pinot Noir from Bouzy vinified as red wine.

The 2009 vintage is perfectly representative of the continental climate that prevails in Champagne. A very cold and dry winter was followed by a sunny summer with almost no rainfall during August and September.

These weather conditions enabled the vines to produce healthy and impeccably ripe grapes. The result for the Comtes de Champagne Rosé 2009 is a relatively dense, even perceptibly tannic Champagne that leads to a delicate, airy finish with a flourish of mouthwatering salinity.

Just as is the case for the Blanc de Blancs version of this luxury cuvée, this is a Comtes de Champagne that will keep well for a long period between 15 and 40 years.

Yohan Castaing rates Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne new releases:

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