TAITTINGER

The Marilyn Monroe of Champagne, with voluptuous notes of lemon meringue, poached apricot, black cherry, brioche and candied ginger trimmed nicely by sleek, mouthwatering acidity. A minerally underpinning of smoke and oyster shell pushes through to drive the finish. It's hard to stop sipping this bright and harmonious bubbly. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 96 Alison Napjus, The Wine Spectator (Sept 2024)

100% grand cru Côte des Blancs chardonnay; 60% Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the pillars of Comtes, for structure and finesse, then Chouilly for body and strength, Oger and a little less than 10% Cramant; 5% from Chouilly aged (not fermented) for 4 months in young oak barrels (new, with one-third renewed each year) to add body and subtle burnt-vanilla and coconut character; 9g/L dosage.

Taittinger’s flagship Comtes de Champagne holds an enviable position among the very finest blanc de blancs. The depth of reach of the house into the Côte des Blancs grand crus has made this one of Champagne’s most consistent flagships, and one or two points ahead of Salon in my book in every vintage of the 2000s to date. Every even-numbered vintage since 1996 has been nothing short of transcendental.

‘We are lucky to work with a huge quantity of wines from the Côte des Blancs, allowing us to choose the best samples for Comtes de Champagne each year,’ explains cellar master Loïc Dupont. ‘We look for the vats that represent the typicity of each cru, to build the expression of the vintage. Avize brings elegance, finesse and balance, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger contributes body and a subtle reduction akin to grilled bread, Chouilly delivers roundness, Cramant grilled almonds, and Oger elegant citrus.’

The sheer expanse of Taittinger's sourcing from the greatest chardonnay crus and the intricate fanaticism of its winemaking team makes Comtes a legendary blanc de blancs - and never more so today than in the cooler seasons. 2013 reflects the brilliant pale straw hue of 2008 and follows a similarly pure and precise fruit trajectory of accurate lemon and white peach, then takes a turn unique to 2013 and introduces a tweak of exoticism unusual for Comtes. This is the voice of Avize, hinting at star fruit, kiwi and almost ripe pineapple that brings an alluring immediacy to an otherwise tense and ageworthy season. A touch of barrel maturation brings the unique vanilla and toasted coconut nuances specific to Comtes, while a decade in the depths contributes subtle brioche, almond nougat and a softly whipped butter texture. Yet both of these influences are profoundly understated here, unprecedented since 2008, and it is the purity and energy of fruit that defines this slow-evolving season, promising tremendous endurance for the coming decades. This cool season sets off the dramatic chalk minerality of Avize and Le Mesnil, guiding a finish of monumental persistence and undeterred line. Another brilliant Comtes.

Tasted in 2023 Rating: 98 Tyson Stelzer - The Champagne Guide (Jul 2024)

The 2013 Comtes de Champagne is a towering Champagne, as it was last year. Rich, sumptuous and explosive, the 2013 soars out of the glass with a captivating mix of tropical fruit, apricot, passion fruit, baked apple tart, mint and yellow flowers. It is one of the most explosive, extroverted Comtes I have ever tasted. Impressive. Drinking range: 2025 - 2053 Rating: 98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2024)