France

Aperitif/avec

Shellfish

Fish

Chardonnay

Taittinger

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs

Champagne

Champagne, brut

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2008

House: Taittinger (Reims) 
Bottle: Comtes de Champagne 2008, Grands Crus, Blanc de Blancs 
Grapes: 100 % Chardonnay 
Dosage: 9 g/L

Characteristics:
The wine presents itself with the classic Chardonnay colour in all its sparkling, golden glory with shimmers of green coating the constant stream of fine and delicate bubbles. 

On the nose it felt very closed in the beginning, but after 25-30 minutes the smile on the face of my bandit partner said it all: The party was just started and the cuvée offered a vivid bouquet reminding us of Taittinger’s deep, cold cellars combined with aromas of sweet citrus, lemon grass, yellow apples, warm brioche, yeast, green herbs, lime zest and unsweetened mango followed by gun powder, mint leaves and a hint of pineapple. 

On the palate, it is subtle with the classic toasted and silky smooth, creamy profile which Comtes is known for. The dominant notes were ripe citrus, toasted brioche, yellow fruits, banana and flower honey, but with a gentle and subtle acidity. The complexity of the wine is, however, not fully developed yet, so we cannot wait to taste this cuvée in the years to come.

Champagne Taittinger was established under Pierre Taittinger in 1932. In 2005, the house was sold to the US investment group Starwood but was fortunately bought back by the Taittinger family a year later.

The Comtes de Champagne is Taittinger's prestige cuvée and was first made in the 1952 vintage. 

The 2008 vintage was disgorged in July 2018 after almost 10 years maturation on the lees 18 meters underground, this prestige cuvée is created using only first-press juice from grapes from the Grand Cru-classified villages Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. Five percent of the blend is aged for four months in fresh oak barrels, one third of which are renewed each year from the Seguin Moreau cooperages in Cognac and Rousseau in Burgundy.

Value for Money: 6 of 10 
Rating: 92🍾

Expert

CdC is one of my absolute favorite champagnes. I have therefore looked forward to tasting this. The nose is fruity with yellow apples, oranges and tangerines. It is mineral with salt and wet shale. The autolysis is clean and complex with brioche and green tea. It is silky and elegant. 

The palate is silky, fruity, acidic and nicely balanced. It has a lovely mouthfeel, but will develop more weightlessness with further ageing. 

The finish is long and complex. It paired perfectly with Oscietra caviar.

Dufter av grønne modne crispy epler, perfekt autolysese, lys karamell, lys kaffe, hvite stenfrukter, blomster eng

Utrolig delikat mousse, perfekt syre, meget kompleks, kjeks, grønne epler, vanvittig mineralsk, med en lang pg syresprengt mousse utgang

Elegant og taktfast kompleks nese med tydelig mineralitet og lett ristede toner. Fruktdrevet, men med klassiske lagringsaromaer fra Chardonnay: ristet kokos, lett kaffe og moden sitrus. I munnen rik, men samtidig stram og fokusert, med flott balanse mellom struktur og frukt. Smaksbildet følger nesen med ristede og florale toner, kalkete mineralitet og rik, moden Chardonnay-frukt. Lang, presis og svært harmonisk avslutning.

En eksepsjonell Comtes som kombinerer rikdom, presisjon og stor lagringsverdighet.

Sommelier

En uhyre delikat og elegant champagne med nydelig struktur, rike dufter og lang frisk lengde. Nydelige fine bobler gir en lekker mousse og det er bare å nyte. 

Certified Sommelier

Middels gulgrønn farge. Konsentrert. Toast, sitrus og gul frukt på duft og smak.medium pluss syrlighet. Rik, fyldig med en fantatisk ettersmak. Skapt for de store anledningene i livet.

We served this Champagne during the Connoisseur Week in 2022 also, and the last year has seen it deepen and gather complexity. If you have been holding on to it, I strongly suggest taking another look, as everything has pulled together, with the quince and brioche character more pronounced, along with smoked almonds and bright citrus. A Blanc de Blancs made entirely from Chardonnay grapes sourced from entirely from Grand Cru vineyards in Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. 9 years on the lees, disgorged April 2021, 9 g/l dosage.

Inside Bordeaux

Amateur

Amatør

almond, minerals, toast, lemon, honey, flint, grapefruit, orange, apple, yellow apple, pear, vanilla, butter, brioche, cream, cheese, tropical, acacia, perfume, mint, dried apricot, raspberry, pineapple, lemon zest and some lime. This is something really elegant with one of the nicest toasts I have experienced. Discrete citrus balanced with lovely nuttiness and minerality. Great balance and concentration done with finesse and skills. I guess this will get even better with more time.

The nose is fruity with grapefruit and peach. It is mineral with limestones, and has a clean and elegant autolysis with bread dough and marzipan. It seems almost weightless. 

The palate is fruity with fine integrating acidity. It is silky, weightless and incredibly elegant. The finish is long and complex. 

It is a very typical CdC, and a very positively surprise from a rather weak vintage.

The nose is fruity with yellow and slightly green apples, and it is citrus like mandarin. The autolysis is clean and with bun dough. It is incredibly appealing and elegant. The palate is lean, but also velvety and silky. It is an intense fruit and a nice balancing acidity. 2004 can often be a little green, but there are no signs of that here. The finish is long fruity and acidic. It is perfect to drink now, but also has a long future. 96 points. // Sep '21: The nose is silky and elegant. It is intensely fruity with green apples, apricots, tangerines and oranges. It is a blend of green and tropical fruits. It is mineral with shale and salt. The autolysis is clean and very elegant with bread dough. The palate is light, silky, creamy, intensely fruity, acidic, mineral and incredibly elegant. It is complex and balanced. The finish is long and complex. This must be among the best Champagnes in this vintage, and at least the best I have tasted. 96 points.

Medium deep, straw colour. The nose is elegant, steel like, stony and mineral; after some aeration, it displays more yellow fruit and pineapple; excellent bite and structure on the palate, full bodied with an invigorating freshness, a mineral notion and superbly long finish . A highly promising Champagne with a long life ahead of it. (Dec 2011)

Pale yellow, stunning nose with a predominance of Chardonnay - pine nuts, almond, ripe citrus, white flower and minerality, the palate is beautifully structured with ripe yellow fruit supported by bright acidity, gently roasted notes and a firm mineral finish, very long finish, a high level of complexity, great stuff, still slightly on the young side, should develop really well. (Dec 2011)

sjelden pen balanse mellom syre og frukt til å være 96 - begynnende modningsaromaer - intens - stor champagne (96)

Category	Sparkling wine
Vinmonopolet no.	12512301
Producer	Taittinger
Vintages	2008
Country	France, Champagne
Bottle	75 cl

Alcohol	12.5 %
Acid	6 %
Sugar	9 g/l

Packaging	Glass
Cork type	Naturkork
Selection	Uten utvalg
Wholesaler	Fondberg AS
Carrier	Vectura AS