Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, the Connoisseur Blanc de Blancs
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne is the champagne that insiders reach for. It is a 100 percent Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs of pure, chalk driven Cote des Blancs elegance. It is the gift for the champagne lover who finds the famous names a little obvious. It ages so well it doubles as a bottle to lay down for a future anniversary.
It is the prestige cuvee of Champagne Taittinger, created by Francois Taittinger in 1952. It is named for the Comtes de Champagne, the Counts of Champagne. In particular it honors Thibaud IV, count of Champagne and king of Navarre, who ruled during the regions golden age. His former residence in Reims has belonged to the Taittinger family since 1932. That ties the house and the name together.
What defines it is the grape. This is a Blanc de Blancs, made entirely from Chardonnay. It comes only from the grand cru villages of the Cote des Blancs. Only the first pressing of the fruit is used.
What makes it exceptional:
- A 100 percent Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs, the purist prestige style.
- Fruit only from the grand cru villages of the Cote des Blancs.
- First press juice only, for finesse and precision.
- A vintage champagne, made only in exceptional years.
- Aged at length in chalk cellars and built to age a decade and more.
In the glass it is powerful yet delicate, with citrus and lime blossom, white grapefruit, and blanched almond. Pastry cream, a fine pinpoint mousse, and a long, chalky, mineral finish round it out. Where the great blends lead with richness, Comtes leads with precision, which is precisely why the champagne literate love it.
Serve it well chilled and let it stretch out in the glass. The precision and the long, chalky finish are the entire point. It is the champagne to give someone who has tasted the famous blends. It shows what pure Chardonnay from the greatest chalk soils can really do.
It is a natural for the collector, the connoisseur, a refined celebration, or a client who knows their wine. The bottle can be engraved on the back, and a personalized gift note can be added at checkout.
