2006 Champagne Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne, Blanc de Blancs, Brut

2006 Champagne Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne, Blanc de Blancs, Brut

Product: 20068012674
Prices start from £580.00 per case Buying options
2006 Champagne Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne, Blanc de Blancs, Brut

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Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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6 x 75cl bottle
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Description

Taittinger is one of the few family-owned, independent Champagne houses in Reims. Its top Champagne is Comtes de Champagne. First produced in 1952, it is made from 100 percent Chardonnay grapes from six Grand Cru sites in the Côte de Blancs. This is finely aromatic, rich, creamy blanc de blancs at its best.

The 2006 epitomises Taittinger’s famed purity and elegance. This is a wine of the very highest calibre. The nose is beautifully poised, clean and pure with waxy lemon notes and the merest hint of biscuit. The palate is effortless, so fine, yet has no shortage of complexity or length. Citrus-laden, a tiny hint of white chocolate comes with the creamy texture. Tasted alongside the 2004 it is clear that the 2006 is going to develop in a similar, fine, fashion and I suspect, given the precision it displays now, the 2006 is likely to surpass that fine vintage in time.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

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Critics reviews

Jasper Morris MW96/100

This wine feels like an old friend, having drunk dozens of bottles over the past few years. In the UK, a famous high-street supermarket decided to delist this wine and offer some extraordinary discounts. For myself and other savvy enthusiasts, this was a unique opportunity to study the wine, the vintage, and the differences between subsequent disgorgements on a grand and affordable scale. Early examples were delightfully restrained and even austere (2006 is a ripe vintage; though it is perceived as a "low acid" year, the combination of ripe tartaric acidity and high natural ABV gives the wine structure and precision). In the interim, the pear-like fruit has gained a layer of succulent, stone-fruit creaminess, though the aspect remains intense, fresh, and youthful. A long, mineral finish completes the experience. Evolving at a snail's pace, this is genuinely a brilliant effort from Taittinger and possibly wine of the vintage!

Drink 2023 - 2038

Steve Pritchard, Inside Burgundy (December 2022)

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Burghound94/100

In much the same fashion as the '06 Rosé this is aromatically quite restrained with notably cool and elegant aromas that speak of citrus, floral, yeast and green apple nuances. The wonderfully refined mouth feel is enhanced by the beautifully fine effervescence that shapes the medium-weight flavours that culminate in crisp, intense and gorgeously complex and persistent finish. This is not only a terrific effort but it's an amazingly good 2006 as there are no exotic hints plus it offers exceptionally good verve. While this could certainly be enjoyed now I would be inclined to hold it for at least another 3 years and 5 will probably be the sweet spot.

Drink from 2018 onward

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (October 2015)

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Antonio Galloni, Vinous98/100

We started with the 2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, which is every bit as racy and seductive as it has always been. It’s a great, great vintage for Comtes.

Drink 2022 - 2046

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (December 2022)

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Wine Advocate96/100

Disgorged September 2016

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 Cte 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.

Drink 2020 - 2034

Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate (June 2018)

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Jancis Robinson MW18/20

Very neat and complete with tightly laced texture and probably at peak now. Still very refreshing and just more complex rather than old.

Drink 2016 - 2027

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (December 2021)

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James Suckling96/100

This is settling into a deeper presence. It has a freshness that really appeals, along with Taittinger's signature toasty layer of autolysis, grilled nuts and praline. Plenty of flesh and weight on the palate. Acidity clasps ripe peach and mango fruits, finishing long, powerful and fine.

Drink now

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (December 2018)

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Decanter95/100

A cold winter and scattered frost were followed by a hot, dry July. August rains cleared in time for the two weeks of dry, warm weather before a harvest in near-perfect conditions from 11 September. The Comtes is softly rich and lush, with an elegant, approachable ripe apple fruit, a hint of buttered toast and a firm mineral underpinning. Although the texture is somewhat soft, this wine has plenty of extract and potential for ageing.

Drink 2022 - 2040

Charles Curtis MW, Decanter.com (January 2022)

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About this WINE

Champagne Taittinger

Champagne Taittinger

Taittinger is one of the few family-owned independent Champagne houses in Reims. It produces a very classy Non-Vintage blend and complex Vintage Champagnes as well.

Its top Champagne is Comtes De Champagne - first produced in 1952, it is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes from 6 Grand Cru sites in the Côte de Blancs. This is finely aromatic, rich, creamy Blanc de Blancs at its best, though patience is required as the wine should not be approached for at least ten years.

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Blanc de Blancs

Blanc de Blancs

In Champagne, the term Blanc de Blancs designates Champagnes made only from white grape varieties, either as blends or single-varietal wines. The vineyards located between Cramant and Mesnil-sur-Oger in Côte des Blancs yield the best examples of the style.

A classic Blanc de Blancs is restrained and elegant when young, yet with ageing it develops a mouth-coating brioche richness that overlays an intense expression of fruitiness. Blanc de Blancs are endowed with longer ageing potential than a typical Blanc de Noirs.

Recommended Producers: Salon, Billecart Salmon, Jacques Selosse, Dom Ruinart, Krug, Le Mesnil Grand CruGuy Larmandier

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Chardonnay

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.

Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.

Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.

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When is a wine ready to drink?

We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.

Not ready

These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.

Ready - youthful

These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.

Ready - at best

These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.

Ready - mature

These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.