Comtes de Champagne, The prerogative of time:
"The Comtes de Champagne reflects the Taittinger House’s passion and soul, as well as its unrelenting demand for quality. Due to our meticulous and uncompromising production processes and our desire to develop a unique, coherent personality across our vintages, Comtes de Champagne is enshrined today in the very select club of the greatest fine wines
Tinged with a myriad of sensations, Comtes de Champagne unveils its multiple facets with humility and discretion. Its tasting carries us back through time to the legend of Thibaut IV, Count of Champagne, whose spirit it continues to celebrate today.
With a touch of caprice, the new 2008 vintage required an additional six months of patience, a simple grain of sand for a wine which does not fear the ravages of time. It appears like a light that invites us, just for a second, to stop and enjoy the moment."Vitalie Taittinger, President of Champagne Taittinger.
The birth of a myth:
In commemoration of the emblematic variety’s subtle elegance, Maison Taittinger decided to create its prestigious cuvee, the Comtes de Champagne Blancs de Blancs.
It was named after the eminent dynasty of Thibaud IV, who brought an ancestor of the Chardonnay variety back from the Crusades. Combining conquest, courtly love and poetry, this history proudly marks each bottle with its seal. A seal that permanently binds together the destiny of the two families.
Since the very first Comtes de Champagne cuvee in 1952, only 37 vintages have been produced. A true expression of the House style, some vintages become timeless and join the legend of the most exceptional wines produced in the Champagne region. These masterworks reach their zenith when the wine not only inspires the palate with enticing sensations but also moves the soul leaving a timeless mark...
From Nikita Khrushchev, invited to Reims by General de Gaulle, who declared upon tasting the 1955 vintage: “This is something we don’t have in my country!” to Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels and armchair historian on the Comtes de Champagne, the excellence of this cuvee is renowned throughout the world.
It was named after the eminent dynasty of Thibaud IV, who brought an ancestor of the Chardonnay variety back from the Crusades. Combining conquest, courtly love and poetry, this history proudly marks each bottle with its seal. A seal that permanently binds together the destiny of the two families.
Since the very first Comtes de Champagne cuvee in 1952, only 37 vintages have been produced. A true expression of the House style, some vintages become timeless and join the legend of the most exceptional wines produced in the Champagne region. These masterworks reach their zenith when the wine not only inspires the palate with enticing sensations but also moves the soul leaving a timeless mark...
From Nikita Khrushchev, invited to Reims by General de Gaulle, who declared upon tasting the 1955 vintage: “This is something we don’t have in my country!” to Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels and armchair historian on the Comtes de Champagne, the excellence of this cuvee is renowned throughout the world.
A cradle of chalk:
An exceptional Champagne terroir predominantly planted with Chardonnay (95%), the Côte des Blancs barely covers 20 km just south of Epernay. The omnipresent chalk outcrops provide a precious reservoir of water and heat under the combined influence of an oceanic and continental climate. Facing primarily eastwards, the vines are sheltered from the prevailing winds from the west.
Growing on the hillsides, they receive optimal sunlight. The quintessence of Maison Taittinger, the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is made solely with Chardonnay grapes from the 5 villages classified as Grand Cru in the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger.
To make optimal use of each vine, grapes are picked by hand in an environmentally responsible manner in keeping with nature’s innate rhythm. Harvesting awaits full maturity and is conducted with extreme care both during the picking and the sorting. Each terroir is pressed separately in order to preserve the integrity of their characteristics: elegance, minerality and strength. If a harvest proves to be of exceptional quality, worthy of becoming a great vintage, a subtle blending will give birth to a Comtes de Champagne.
Growing on the hillsides, they receive optimal sunlight. The quintessence of Maison Taittinger, the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is made solely with Chardonnay grapes from the 5 villages classified as Grand Cru in the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger.
To make optimal use of each vine, grapes are picked by hand in an environmentally responsible manner in keeping with nature’s innate rhythm. Harvesting awaits full maturity and is conducted with extreme care both during the picking and the sorting. Each terroir is pressed separately in order to preserve the integrity of their characteristics: elegance, minerality and strength. If a harvest proves to be of exceptional quality, worthy of becoming a great vintage, a subtle blending will give birth to a Comtes de Champagne.
A rare and precious wine:
A Comtes de Champagne is rare. The technical process determining its creation precludes any large scale production. Produced in the Gallo-Roman chalk cellars of the ancient Saint-Nicaise abbey in Reims, this cuvee is subject to a great deal of care and attention until it reaches full maturity.
Only first-press wine (the “cuvee”) is used to guarantee absolute elegance. Of the wines that make up the Comtes de Champagne, 5% have been aged for 4 months in fresh oak barrels (one third of which are replaced each year) to boost the intrinsic quality of the final blend and enhance its toasted notes.
Only after a long ageing period of 10 years, nestled 18 meters under the ground, do the prestigious bottles see the light of day
Only first-press wine (the “cuvee”) is used to guarantee absolute elegance. Of the wines that make up the Comtes de Champagne, 5% have been aged for 4 months in fresh oak barrels (one third of which are replaced each year) to boost the intrinsic quality of the final blend and enhance its toasted notes.
Only after a long ageing period of 10 years, nestled 18 meters under the ground, do the prestigious bottles see the light of day
The 2008 vintage well-balanced and fresh :
The 2008 vintage is warm yet fresh, the perfect expression of the continental climate in Champagne. The winter was very long and cold with little rainfall. The spring was mild and humid with little sunshine. The vines flowered in the first two weeks of June in fairly cool temperatures, leading to slow but steady ripening with some periods of rain. Harvesting took place from 15 September to 10 October in sunny conditions but with relatively cool temperatures, resulting in ripe, healthy grapes.
Wines from this year present excellent freshness, tautness, purity, salinity, refinement and aromatic precision.
Wines from this year present excellent freshness, tautness, purity, salinity, refinement and aromatic precision.
Comtes de Champagne 2008, a translucent vintage :
Synonymous with a unique and exceptional moment, the Comtes de Champagne 2008 lives up to all expectations. A magnificently brilliant and youthful robe of pale gold with glints of green.
Effervescence is delicate and creamy, almost unearthly. The Comtes de Champagne 2008 nose is intense, precise and crystal clear. It abounds in freshness and minerality. Its aromatic purity is a true expression of the chalky soil from which it originates, giving an airy impression of delicate tautness.
At once focused, complex and restrained, the nose of this 2008 vintage carries aromas of pear, lime, white pepper and range blossom, cleverly combined with hints of liquorice and slightly toasted notes. The palate offers great aromatic sophistication leading to a persistent minerality and tautness.
Comtes de Champagne 2008 yields its purest, rawest and most intense expression. This vintage offers a superb balance of sophistication and concentration with aromas of white fruits, grapefruit and mint and an elegantly honeyed finish.
During the 12 years it has spent slowly maturing in cellars, time has worked its magic, enabling this Comtes de Champagne to open up with an extraordinary energy and ageing potential. All that remains now is for it to write the rest of its story.
Effervescence is delicate and creamy, almost unearthly. The Comtes de Champagne 2008 nose is intense, precise and crystal clear. It abounds in freshness and minerality. Its aromatic purity is a true expression of the chalky soil from which it originates, giving an airy impression of delicate tautness.
At once focused, complex and restrained, the nose of this 2008 vintage carries aromas of pear, lime, white pepper and range blossom, cleverly combined with hints of liquorice and slightly toasted notes. The palate offers great aromatic sophistication leading to a persistent minerality and tautness.
Comtes de Champagne 2008 yields its purest, rawest and most intense expression. This vintage offers a superb balance of sophistication and concentration with aromas of white fruits, grapefruit and mint and an elegantly honeyed finish.
During the 12 years it has spent slowly maturing in cellars, time has worked its magic, enabling this Comtes de Champagne to open up with an extraordinary energy and ageing potential. All that remains now is for it to write the rest of its story.