Personal advice
Among all prestige cuvées of Champagne, this wine has the widest drinking window. After its long lees ageing, it is already a great pleasure when young. Over decades it develops ever more complex aromas and remains impressive even after 50 years.
Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is the first prestige cuvée made from Chardonnay. Claude Taittinger launched the first vintage, 1952, in 1962. The quality of the grapes from the estate’s own vineyards in Avize, Le Mesnil, Oger, Cramant and Chouilly is outstanding. It combines power, full body, a creamy texture and intense fruit aromas.
This champagne is a rarity. Only around 2% of the production volume of Dom Pérignon is made.
In the 13th century, Champagne was independent of France and ruled by the Counts of Champagne. The Taittinger family’s administrative headquarters is located in the former Palace of the Counts in the Rue du Tambour in Reims. Claude Taittinger took a deep interest in the history of the dynasty.
He was particularly fascinated by Thibaut IV. He was a crusader, warrior, poet and singer. Thibaut combined strength with beauty and emotion — just as the house’s prestige cuvée was intended to combine power with elegance.
When Claude became managing director in 1960, he decided to elevate the house with a prestige cuvée. Taittinger owned extensive holdings of top-class Chardonnay vineyards. The choice therefore fell on the best Chardonnays of the 1952 vintage, which were released in 1962 as the first Comtes de Champagne.
Sean Connery drank the 1953 vintage in “From Russia with Love” (1963). Charles de Gaulle served Nikita Khrushchev Comtes de Champagne 1955 in Reims in March 1960.
This Chardonnay champagne is the embodiment of a creamy, full-bodied, exotically fruity Blanc de Blancs style. It combines aromatic intensity with power, generosity, mineral energy and freshness.
When young, Comtes de Champagne delights with aromas of lemon, exotic fruits, vanilla, toast and roasted almonds. The opulent palate is supported by the characteristic minerality of the Côte des Blancs. With increasing maturity, notes of nuts, caramel and coffee develop. After decades, truffle, honey and forest floor notes appear.
1952 shows forest floor, nuts, caramel and molasses, with barely perceptible mousse.
1953 is elegant, but well past its peak.
1955 still has fruit with sous-bois and caramel notes.
1959 can still be very good today and shows mature Comtes character.
1961 is exceptionally opulent.
1962 is no longer enjoyable.
1964 still shows lush, sweet fruit.
1966 disappoints today.
1969 still has sweet, creamy fruit.
1970 is quickly forgotten.
1971 is intense and opulent, but beyond its peak.
1973 is extremely concentrated and exotic.
1975 is good, but not spectacular.
1976 favours power over elegance and still retains fruit.
1979 is somewhat more elegant than 1976, but very full-bodied.
1981 is elegant and at the end of its drinking window.
1982 is opulent, but disappointing.
1983 is no longer a great experience today.
1985 does not live up to expectations.
1986 is pleasant to drink without a wow factor.
1988 is the great Comtes of the 1980s with a long future ahead.
1989 disappoints.
1990 is ripe, fruity and soft.
1993 is an underperformer.
1994 is mineral and rather slender than creamy.
1995 has attractive fruit.
1996 has racy acidity and a great future.
1997 is nutty and developed, but not a great experience.
1998 shows just how great Chardonnay can be in this vintage.
1999 is very good despite the Pinot Noir focus of the year.
2000 combines toasty notes with creaminess.
2002 is concentrated, opulent and high in acidity.
2004 is elegant and harmonious.
2005 is opulent with nutty, toasty notes.
2006 is powerful and long-lived.
2007 is fruity, rounded and generous.
2008 is taut, mineral and needs time.
2011 currently appears lean and austere.
2012 has a creamy, full palate with an exciting balance between fruit sweetness and acidity.
2013 is intensely mineral and concentrated.
2014 shows attractive fruit richness, but less structure than the great years.
Fans of a fruity, creamy style should choose 2012 or 2014. Those seeking mineral energy and concentration should opt for 2013. 2004 is elegant, while 2002 is a long-lived classic. Patient drinkers will find 2006 and 2008 exciting, albeit atypical Comtes vintages.
In good years, around 100,000 to 120,000 bottles are produced. In the 2002 vintage, only a quarter of the usual quantity was made due to the desired acid structure. l
Thanks to small production volumes and extensive holdings in top vineyard sites, Taittinger can apply strict selection and declare Comtes de Champagne even in challenging years.
Between 1993 and 2000, eight consecutive vintages were produced.
Taittinger owns 288.8 hectares of vineyards. They supply around 40% of the house’s grape requirements.
Grape varieties: 48% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay, and 15% Pinot Meunier
Sites: The estate’s vineyards are almost entirely classified as Grand and Premier Crus. Chardonnay comes almost exclusively from the Côte des Blancs. Pinot Noir is sourced from the Montagne de Reims, and Pinot Meunier from the Marne Valley.
Terroirs: Avize, Le Mesnil, Chouilly, Cramant, Oger, Oiry, Vertus, Bergères-lès-Vertus, Villeneuve-Renneville-Chevigny, Pierry....
The white prestige cuvée is made from Chardonnays sourced from five famous Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. Oger and Cramant produce fuller, fruit-driven wines. Avize and Le Mesnil provide more structure. Chouilly is less mineral than Avize and Le Mesnil. In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the cuvée also included wines from the Premier Crus Vertus and Bergères-lès-Vertus.
The grapes come from the estate’s own parcels in the finest Grand Cru vineyards of the Côte des Blancs. Only the juice from the first pressing is used. After fermentation in stainless steel tanks, 4–5% of the wines have, since 1988, been aged for three to six months in oak barrels. These are usually wines from Chouilly, aged in oak from the Allier and Limousin forests. The 225-litre barrels come from Séguin Moreau in Cognac and Tonnellerie Rousseau in Burgundy. One third of the barrels are renewed each year.
The wine then matures in the 18-metre-deep chalk cellars of Saint-Nicaise in Reims, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is where the fine mousse and creamy texture develop. Lees ageing lasts eight to ten years.
Disgorgement is carried out by hand “à la volée”. Dosage is 8–10 g/l.
New vintages cost €150–200 for a 0.75-litre bottle. Prices then rise rapidly due to the small production volumes, with sought-after older vintages reaching prices of over €1,000. The rosé is priced at €250–300 upon release.
Comtes de Champagne Rosé combines 60–70% Pinot Noir (around 12–14% of which is still wine from Bouzy) with 30–40% Chardonnay from Grand Cru sites of the Côte des Blancs. The result is a powerful yet elegant rosé champagne with aromas of ripe red berries, plum, vanilla and brioche. Around 5% of the base wines are aged in oak, lending subtle toasty notes and additional depth. The finish is long, finely smoky and distinctive.
Comtes de Champagne Rosé was first released with the 1971 vintage.
The Taittinger family originates from Austria and settled in Lorraine in 1640 under their original name, Tettinger. They later moved to Paris.
In 1734, the house Champagne Forest-Fourneaux is founded.
In 1932, Pierre Taittinger (1887–1965) acquires the house, which is subsequently renamed Taittinger. The purchase includes around 50 hectares of vineyards.
In 1932, Pierre also acquires Château de la Marquetterie in Pierry, a former army base where he served during the First World War on the staff of General de Castelnau.
Pierre pursues political interests in Paris and entrusts Paul Evêque with the management of the champagne house.
In 1940, the eldest son François begins assisting his father and soon becomes managing director.
In 1946, the second son Jean joins Taittinger.
In 1949, Claude joins the house.
In 1955, the Taittinger family acquires a stake in the retail group Société du Louvre. Jean works for the group and begins investing in hotels.
By 1955, the house owns 110 hectares of vineyards.
In 1959, Jean is elected Mayor of Reims, a position he holds until 1972.
In 1960, François dies in an accident and Claude takes over management of the house. Jean remains active in politics and serves as a minister in the early 1970s.
From 1971 into the 1980s, the hotel business is expanded.
In 1974, the house acquires Bouvet-Ladubay.
In 2006, Claude steps down as managing director and hands over leadership to Pierre-Emmanuel.
In 1976, Pierre-Emmanuel, son of Jean, joins the business, working in sales and later becoming deputy managing director.
In 1987, together with US importer Kobrand, the house founds Domaine Carneros in California.
In 1988, Taittinger invests in Baccarat crystal.
In 1992, the group becomes majority shareholder in Baccarat.
In 1998, the holding owns more than 50% of Baccarat.
In 2005, the US investment firm Starwood Capital acquires a majority stake in the Taittinger Group.
In 2006, Starwood sells the champagne and wine interests. Pierre-Emmanuel regains control with a €600 million bid.
In 2007, Pierre-Emmanuel’s daughter Vitalie and his son Clovis join the business. Clovis has led international sales since 2011.
In 2019, Vitalie succeeds her father as head of the house.