‘Jewel’ in Taittinger crown Comtes 2006 released

The 2006 vintage of the jewel in Taittinger’s crown, prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne, was launched in London this morning at Christie’s in St James’s.

Made from 100% Chardonnay from Grand Cru vineyards in the Côtes des Blancs, the blanc de blancs was launched by Clovis Taittinger to members of the trade.

The launch of the 2006 vintage marks a hat trick of Comtes releases, with 2004 and 2005 expressions of the prestige cuvée also released.

During the launch Clovis Taittinger confirmed that the house will follow up with 2007 and 2008 releases but won’t be making any Comtes from the 2009, 2010 and 2011 vintages as the conditions weren’t favourable enough to make it.

Clovis Taittinger introduces the 2006 vintage of Comtes de Champagne to the trade at Christie’s in St James’s

“Comtes de Champagne is made with five Grand Crus, the very best of the best. It’s the jewel in our crown. The 2006 vintage is well balanced but reveals incredible complexity.

“There’s no pressure to make Comtes every year – we want it to be the purest and most absolute expression of Chardonnay possible. We put a lot of brainpower into it.

“The 2006 is delicious now, but I’m excited to see how it develops over time as it promises to be very long lived,” Taittinger said.

“Comtes is the soul of Taittinger, it’s an extraordinary wine whose reputation was built by my ancestors. It’s divine; it’s magic; it’s a glorious wine,” his father Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger added.

According to its maker, the sparkler boasts “fresh, refined tangerine-like fruitiness” on the nose and “mature notes of ripe fruit, raisin pastries and candied fruit”.

On the palate, the wine is “supple, full-bodied and rich” with a “lively attack” and “a hint of spice, reminiscent of liquorice sticks”.

A stormy summer in 2006 was saved by a warm, dry September. The fizz, which has 9g/l of sugar, spent a decade in the Taittinger and was disgorged by hand before release.

“We try to disgorge as early as we can to make the wine perfectly drinkable when it’s released,” Clovis revealed.

Addressing the fact that Comtes is made more frequently today than it was in the past, Clovis said: “Today it’s not so unusual to make three prestige cuvée vintages in a row. With global warming and more consistent harvests, it’s easier to make now than it was in the ’80s and ’90s.”

But while Comtes remains the jewel in Taittinger’s crown, Clovis stressed that Taittinger Brut Reserve remains the house’s top priority. “We’re putting a lot of Grand Cru grapes into our Brut Reserve now,” he revealed.

Taittinger’s new export manager, Carlos de Ipanema, spoke of his desire to raise the profile of Comtes among consumers. “Everyone knows Dom Pérignon – we want everyone to know Comtes too.

“We want it to become more famous and democratised. We’re working on ways to market it at the moment. We’re keen to make a bit more of it and grow the brand – it deserves better recognition,” he told db.