Champagne Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2012
Champagne, FranceComte, the best of the best at Taittinger, comes with deep layers of flavours lined with lemon, salt, and chalk, all with a creamy texture and a plethora of minerality and electricity. It’s the purity and the elevated heights of the essence of chardonnay that set it apart from the norm. After spending ten years on its lees, it was disgorged and topped up at 1g/L dosage. The finish is seductive with its electric ripe citrus that disappears into a saline creaminess that doesn’t quit. The winery says it will keep through 2027, but I know it will go much longer if cellared properly. Textbook blanc de blancs for me, and the standard by which all others should be measured.Tasted: 24 October 2023Tasted by: Prices:
Champagne Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2012
Champagne, FranceComtes is a remarkable wine, very vintage dependent, but hallmarked with the undeniable finesse of Comtes. For a tête de cuvée, very little of this is produced, and certainly not every year (there will be no Comtes 2022 or 2023). 2012 was the 37th vintage Comtes was made since 1952. With GC fruit from Côtes des Blancs' Chouilly, Cramant, Avize, Oger, and Les Mesnil-sur-Oger, this was primarily fermented in stainless, though 5% from estate vineyards in Chouilly was fermented in new 225L barrels. Once in bottle, this spent 10 years on lees, and was dosed with 9 g/L when disgorged in spring 2022. Fewer than 200,000 bottles were made. The 2012 is showing lovely balance and cohesion, with a lemony core, lovely filagreed frame, fragrant and expansive meringue, and a very saline, fine chalk finish. Generous 2012 is very smartly handled here, approachable and charming, yet with tight lemony lift and finesse.Tasted: 24 October 2023Tasted by: Prices:
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