Average rating 4.9/5 stars across all Google and external reviews
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Bought directly from Hatch Mansfield, the UK agent for Taittinger. The bottles are stored in bond at London City Bond Eton Park, in ideal conditions at a constant 13°C. For same-day deliveries, small quantities are kept in our office cellar, where the temperature is maintained between 11–13°C. We source all our bottles directly from the Maison or their official UK office, eliminating the risk of poor storage. This is crucial, as champagne quality is highly sensitive to heat: temperatures above 18°C accelerate maturity significantly, which compromises quality.
Originally known as Forest-Fourneaux with history dating back to 1734 and in 1932 Pierre Taittinger bought the House and the Taittinger label was born. A century of incredible growth saw Taittinger become one of the biggest producers and today is one of the last big independent, family-owned Houses. Pierre-Emmanuel retired in 2019 and was succeeded as President by his daughter Vitalie. They own 288-hectares of vineyards and the Taittinger style is the high percentage of Chardonnay. In 2017 Taittinger received two environmental accreditations: the ‘Viticulture Durable en Champagne’ (Sustainable vine-growing in Champagne) and the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE – High environmental sustainability.)
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne is a prestige cuvée blanc de blancs made entirely from Chardonnay grapes sourced from the best vines in the prestigious Côte des Blancs region. It is only produced when the harvest is of exceptional quality worthy of a vintage year. Winemaking methods involve strictly using just the first press juice and ageing 5% of the wines for four months in new oak barrels - a third of which are renewed every year - to enhance the intrinsic qualities and complexities of the final blend. Presented in 18th century antique style bottles, this hand-crafted champagne is aged eighteen metres underground in the UNESCO status Saint-Nicaise cellars in Reims for a minimum of eight years before being released.
Loïc Dupont, head winemaker at Taittinger commented: "I think the recently released 2006 vintage is possibly the closest stylistic comparison to emerge since the 2002."
Weather: The 2006 vintage was a year of mixed weather. It began with a rainy spell and late spring, but with little or no frost in the vineyards. Early summer was positive, with the months of June and July creating perfect conditions for flowering. Although there were some storms in late-July, the overall health of the vines was great since the weather remained hot through to the harvest with spells of rain in August promoting even healthier grapes.
Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Ageing: 8-10 years on the lees
Disgorged: March 2015
Dosage: 9 g/l
Drink: Now to 2040+
Tasting Note: Light and refreshing, this is at once intriguing on the nose with mature notes of ripe fruit and raisin. Well-balanced on the palate with incredible complexity, the dosage of 9 g/l is evident in the full-bodied yet sweet richness. This is an exceptionally pure expression of Chardonnay that is delicious now but promises exciting development over the coming years. One of the best Comtes we've ever tasted!
With history dating back to 1734, Champagne Taittinger is the third oldest House in the region. When Pierre Taittinger purchased Forest-Fourneaux in 1932, the label was officially born and a century of incredible growth saw Taittinger become one of the biggest producers and one of the last big independent, family-owned Houses. This changed briefly after a takeover in 2005, however the House was bought back into the family in 2006 by Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger. Today, the brand has been successfully refreshed with entrepreneurial spirit and is firmly under family control: Pierre-Emmanuel retired in 2019 and was succeeded as President by his daughter Vitalie, supported by her brother Clovis who was promoted to Managing Director primarily focusing on global sales.
The proud owners of 288-hectares of vineyards in the best localities, Taittinger self-supply half of their grape needs. The hallmark of the Taittinger style is the high percentage of Chardonnay, providing the characteristic elegance, delicacy and freshness for which their champagnes are so well-known. The pride of the House is the pure-Chardonnay prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne, a pioneering blanc de blancs that ranks amongst the finest of all prestige cuvées. In late 2015, Tatittinger announced that they had started sparkling wine production in Southern England.
In 2017 Taittinger received two environmental accreditations : the ‘Viticulture Durable en Champagne’ (Sustainable vine-growing in Champagne) and the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE – High environmental sustainability.)
Born in 1979 in the region of Dijon, he decided to come to Reims following his MA in Agronomy at the Jules Guyot Institute (University of Burgundy) and ENITA Dijon. He graduated with a Master’s degree in Oenology-Champagne Wines majoring in Quality, Marketing, Legislation and Management. Taking advantage of his educational background he joined a Champagne House in Reims, for which he went to vinify wines in California. From 2007 to 2015, he worked at the Champagne Technological Station as a consulting oenologist. He advised more than 150 wine estates, merchants and cooperators in Champagne (but also in the rest of France and abroad) and accompanied them through the development and marketing of their sparkling wines.
In April 2015, Ponnavoy joined Champagne Taittinger to work alongside Loïc Dupont, immersing himself in the house's philosophy and techniques . After a few years of collaboration, he assumed the role of Chef de Cave in 2017. Ponnavoy brings a more technical and modern approach, with a background in both oenology and viticulture. A mission to uphold the house's style while introducing greater precision and freshness. Continued emphasis on Chardonnay and long lees ageing for top cuvées. Ponnavoy's work is already evident in newer vintages of Comtes and the refinement of the Brut Réserve and Prestige Rosé.
Under Ponnavoy's leadership, Taittinger has reinforced its commitment to sustainable viticulture. The vineyards are managed without herbicides, and practices such as cover cropping and mechanical weeding are employed to promote environmental health and grape quality. Beyond his work in Champagne, Ponnavoy is instrumental in Taittinger's English venture, Domaine Evremond, located in Kent. He applies his expertise to craft English sparkling wines that reflect the same dedication to quality and style as their French counterparts.
Coming from a long-standing Reims family, Loïc Dupont was influenced, from a very young age, by his apprenticeship in the vineyard and wine on the farm of one of his uncles, a harvester-manipulator in Vertus. He chose to complete his training by joining the Reims oenology school, which awarded him his diploma in 1978.
After two jobs, one abroad in a sparkling wine region, he joined Champagne Taittinger in 1984 alongside the Cellar Master Maurice Morlot. There he learned his trade and, above all, the Taittinger style. From 1987 to 1992, he actively participated in the launch of Domaine Carneros a winery created by Champagne Taittinger and Kobrand in the south end of Napa Valley. In 2000, he took up the position of Cellar Master of Maison Taittinger, taking over from Maurice Morlot. His legacy; he is very much the one who fine tuned the Maison style, there was never a weak wine under his tenure, everything was made with a very high level of consistency. Loic also brought that trademark “freshness” to Comtes de Champagne, masterful use of ascorbic acid also known as vitamin C in the right mix acts as an antioxidant.
Expert Reviews
98/100
Antonio Galloni
“The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is in a great spot. Baked apple tart, spice, chamomile, marzipan, slate and chalk confer tremendous vibrancy and power throughout. Bright saline notes play off the natural exuberance of the year. The 2006 was spectacular on release. It is all that today, too.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“A lovely bottle drinking beautifully now. Tight bead, neat composition, lemon-flavoured and creamy-textured. Still very fresh indeed for an 18-year-old wine.”
96/100
Stephan Reinhardt
“Tasted almost two years after disgorgement, the 2006 Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs shows a beautiful golden-citrus color and opens with a fascinating intense, floral, slightly reductive nose that develops enormously in the glass, offering lemon and lemon confit aromas along with flinty notes of crushed chalk and the iodine flavors of the Atlantic Ocean. This is an utterly complex and promising bouquet! The palate is terribly fresh but also rich, lush and intense, with the purity of the finest wines of the Côte de Blancs, the concentration of perfectly ripe Chardonnay and the suppleness of 2006. This has impeccable balance paired with high tension. The wine is very tight and still seems to be on its way right now. Although there is a first hint of aromatic ripeness, this should be a great Comtes de Champagne in a couple of years. The finish is tensioned, concentrated and mineral but keeps its talents in an almost bursting bubble. Disgorged September 2016; tasted May 2018 (lot L6316UM13600).”
94 → 97/100
Essi Avellan MW
“Stylishly restrained, pure nose of coffee, smoke, milled chalk and peaches. There is an under-control reduced character waiting to express itself as toasty opulence. Subtly textured, seamless, perky palate with electric vivacity. Richer palate than what was promised by the slightly reserved nose. Fresh, light-weight and salivating.”
95/100
Alison Napjus
“A lovely Champagne, offering a rich and expressive palate of dried strawberry and white peach fruit, with toasted hazelnut, pastry, candied ginger and lemon curd flavors set in a fine and elegant frame. Long and creamy on the satiny finish. Drink now through 2031.”
17+/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“Gnomic back label! The word Comtes is now privileged on the front label. Very pale greenish straw. Quite rich and yeasty on the nose. Tight bead and quite sweet on the front palate. Solid and flattering but far from intellectual. Exuberant. Clean. Gentler in texture than the 1996. 12.5%”
94/100
James Suckling
“Very fresh expression of pure chardonnay finished with Taittinger's signature toasty layer of autolysis, caramelized grilled nuts, brulée and a wealth of bright, fresh, pure lemon cirrus fruits. The palate has a superfine thread of acidity buried under peach and nectarine fruits. Long, even, focused and powerful, it finishes long and fine.”
97+/100
Antonio Galloni
“The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is striking, especially in the way it brings together elements of ripeness and freshness in a hypothetical blend of the 2002 and 2004. Smooth and creamy on the palate, the 2006 is all about texture. There is a real feeling of density and weight in the 2006, qualities I expect to see grow with time in the bottle. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. The 2006 has been nothing short of magnificent both times I have tasted it. Comtes de Champagne remains the single best value (in relative terms) in tête de cuvée Champagne. I suggest buying a case and following it over the next 20-30 years, which is exactly what I intend to do. There is little doubt the 2006 Comtes de Champagne is a magical Champagne in the making.”
Today on The Friday Bubble with @essiavellan MW, we compare the new release of Taittinger Prestige Rose NV alongside its predecessor. This is a new blend of Taittinger Rose launched with the dominant year of 2019 vintage in mid 2023.
We are selling an extremely rare complete set of The Taittinger Collection: The Art of Champagne - 13 champagnes in total, from vintage 1978 to vintage 2008.
Earlier this year, we tasted a range of 2018 vins clairs with winemakers at fifteen different houses in Champagne. Thanks to exceptional weather throughout the year, some have been calling it 'the vintage of the century' and expectations are already sky-high. But just how much potential does 2018 have?
The unusual weather patterns in 2018 produced the "perfect conditions for the vineyard", according to new Taittinger Chef de Cave Alexandre Ponnavoy. We met last month to taste the vins clairs, which displayed incredible specificity: each wine showcasing the distinctive characteristics of its individual origins.
Our trip to Reims in August included a smorgasbord of Taittinger: over twenty champagne tasted with head winemaker Loïc Dupont, including an interesting look into the future with Comtes de Champagne 2008 and 2012.
We tasted the 2016 base wines with Vitalie Taittinger, Loïc Dupont & Damien Le Sueur. Discussing the influence of oak barrels, the new 'image of Taittinger Rosé', the potential for Comtes 2016 and Taittinger's new winery; this was a truly eye-opening visit.
