Pre Arrival Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2015

97 VM

Notes:

The 2015 Comtes de Champagne is delicate, airy and wonderfully expressive. Lemon peel, white flowers, chalk, mint and slate are finely sculpted in the glass. Light on its feet and crystalline, the 2015 is terrific. There's a touch of savoriness that is typical of the year, but it is not dominant or overpowering. At present, the 2015 shows a bit of tightness from its recent disgorgement, but that should not be an issue in time. Comtes is a real success in a year that was quite challenging. Dosage is 9 grams per liter. Disgorged: July 2025. Vinous/Galloni 97

Producer: Founded in 1734, Champagne Taittinger remains one of the few great Champagne houses still owned and managed by the founding family. Chardonnay has always been the cornerstone of the house style, giving Taittinger Champagnes their hallmark elegance, finesse, and longevity. Introduced in 1952, Comtes de Champagne represents the pinnacle of that philosophy and is produced only in vintages deemed worthy of the label. Fewer than fifty vintages have been released in more than seventy years, underscoring the house's uncompromising standards. Every bottle is crafted exclusively from Grand Cru Chardonnay and aged for nearly a decade before release, making Comtes de Champagne one of the world's definitive Blanc de Blancs and a benchmark against which many prestige cuvées are measured.
Winemaking: Comtes de Champagne is vinified primarily in stainless steel to preserve the purity and precision of Chardonnay. Approximately 5% of the wines are fermented in fresh oak barrels that are more than four years old, adding subtle texture without overt oak influence. After secondary fermentation, the wine remains approximately ten years on its lees before disgorgement, developing extraordinary complexity while maintaining remarkable freshness.