2012 Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne, Blanc de Blancs, Brut Vintage Champagne, Côte des Blancs, France.
I’ve been on a roll with top Grand Marque Tête de Cuvée Champagnes lately, recently trying vintage Dom Pérignon, Salon and a couple of contrasting Comtes de Champagne bottles, a rare 1975 Brut Rosé and this 2012 vintage, which was an unexpected treat a friend pulled out of his golf bag during a causal round on the links. So while, it wasn’t a sit down studied tasting, the 2012, at least served up in proper glassware, showed fantastically well and it was joyously rewarding and made up for a pretty sad, no birdies, round of golf. The youthful straw/gold Taittinger Comtes de Champagne was rich, full and beautifully expressive with steely mineral, fine small bubbles, vibrant, but creamy with apple, pear, lemon curd, quite, pineapple and peach fruit, along with toast, chalky stone, hazelnut, saline, honeycomb and doughy/yeast brioche notes. Everything was impeccably layered and balanced, not dull or flabby in any fashion whatsoever, even after getting bounced around this was wonderfully rewarding stuff, in a vintage that maybe isn’t as highly regarded. Interestingly a recent bottle of 2012 Salon, was no where near as poised and enjoyable as this Comtes de Champagne, though at this stage that is not unheard of, but still speaks to the measure found here.

Taittinger’s Tête de Cuvee the marvelous Comtes de Champagne has long been regarded as one of the finest bubblies, though it doesn’t get as much hype as Dom or Cristal. The 2002 Vintage of Comtes de Champagne is right up there with the best, I have had many legends from this marque including the 1985, 1988 and the 1990, and while the 2012 isn’’t quite up there with those, it is a gorgeous version and with the benefit of being easy to drink young without any guilt! The Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Tête de Cuvée, the very best of Champagne Taittinger, comes from the exceptional terroir conditions found in the Côte des Blancs region, home to some of the world’s greatest Chardonnay vines. The chalky slopes are located south of Epernay and dominate the ancient limestone of the Champagne plain, with 95% of its vineyards planted exclusively to Chardonnay vines, which what Taittinger says, creates Champagne with a light, delicate aroma full of character and vitality. I find them, expressively mineral, rich in detail, elegantly powerful and luxuriously deep, especially the Comtes de Champagne bottlings, which age impressively as well. The hedonistic Comtes de Champagne is still crafted In the underground silence of the cellars dug out of the chalk quarries of Saint-Nicaise and it sees at least ten years of yeast/lees maturing with about 5% of each vintage getting new oak aging, proving just right amount of toasty charm here.
($179 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive

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