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Comtes de Champagne 2005

Taittinger, Champagne, France

Taittinger
Champagne France
  • 95
    Points
  • The 1 102 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 15 Pros of
    19 recommend
    this wine
668 95
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    964

  • Producer ranking ?

    41

  • Decanting time

    25min

  • When to drink

    now to 2040

  • Food Pairing

    Salmon velouté with lemon and cream

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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This year was hot and dry throughout, giving the Chardonnays excellent quality and a combination of freshness and minerality, as well as being full-bodied and long-lasting. As a result, the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2005 is a very expressive, full-bodied champagne with depth and complexity. Its structure and richness means that it will have an interesting cellaring potential. The colour is pale yellow, with very light, abundant bubbl...

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The Story

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne is the finest expression of the world famous wine from one of the greatest Champagne Houses. First produced in 1952, Comtes is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes from 5 Grand Cru sites in the Côte des Blancs. Showing a pristine pale yellow colour with very light, abundant bubbles which rise uniformly to form a fine mousse. The evocative bouquet opens with notes of pears and fresh cute white flowers. Left in the gla...

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Wine Information

In general, 2005 was warm and dry. After a winter which was hard but mostly dry, spring was characterised as being very mild with a few warm periods. The flowering period ran from 15th to 19th June. After a period of concentrated rainfall towards the end of June and beginning of July, the rest of July was dominated by hot weather, and August by cool weather. The grape harvest, which began on 12th September, was spread over a long period of tim...

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Vintage 2005

 The 2005 vintage was a year of marked contrasts between seasons and regions. Following a fairly harsh winter, 2005 had a mild spring with relatively warm temperatures all year long. There was above average sunshine and a slight water deficit, as had been the case throughout the dry cycle of 2005/2004 and 2003. The heat and humidity in July produced larger grapes and bunches, rather unusually for the Champagne region, while the cooler weather ...

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Average Bottle Price

2024
340€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Medium, Green-Yellow and Bright

ending

Medium, Vibrant and Extensive

flavors

White fruits, Citrus, Mineral, New-oak, Creamy and Coffee

nose

Complex, Closed, Refined and Youthful

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Low alcohol content, Balanced, Concentrated, Well-structured, Youthful, Medium-bodied, Fresh, Elegant, Harmonious, Dry and Silky tannins

Verdict

Well made and Transparent

Written Notes

Comtes – immediate impression of finesse and elegance. The epitome of elegance. Good spices and a lovely salinity. Ethereal – amazingly so for this vintage. Good balance and complexity. Lingers with intent. Citrus and grapefruit with a hint of honey on the finish. Great future. 96. 

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  • 96p

“Rich, ripe white fruit nose coming with a seductive charred, toasty nose. Plenty of pristinely clean fruit. Caressing, smooth silky palate with baking spices and yellow apples. Fresh, zesty palate of fine intensity. Long lingering and appealing.”

-
  • 94p
fresh with fine acidity, citrus, rich and refined with finesse and sophisticated touch. Long finish. 95p.
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  • 95p
Denna tropiska och varma och ofta ganska klumpiga årgång borde verkligen inte passa en elegnt skönhet som Comtes men oj vad många gånger under det senaste året som jag förundrats över denna fullträff! Igen visar Loïc Dupont att han är en mästare under de syrafattiga årgångarna då grannarnas viner ofta framstår som platta, publika och enkelspåriga. Har vissa likheter med en ung ’76:a men har en lite för smörkolelik finish i dag för att jag skall tro att den når ända dit. Men det spelar ingen roll, jag älskar ju det här!
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  • 97p
Comtes de Champagne 2005 Open, ripe and almost heady nose, full of toasty notes, orchard fruit, lemon, hints of spices and minerals. Medium bodied and very smooth with evident dosage on the attack with orchard fruit, lemon, spice and toasty note. Lacking a bit of intensity on the mid-palate and falls a bit short with low acidity on the finish which make the wine feel clumsy and short of freshness. Perhaps time is the answer? Today the wine is too much and too little at the same time. 86p Drink 2015-2025
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  • 86p
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1 official sellers in 1 countries

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Information

Origin

Reims, Champagne

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

Average

Fake factory

None

Other wines from this producer

Brut La Francaise

Brut Prestige Rosé

Brut Réserve

Brut Réserve FIFA 2014

Collection

Comtes de Champagne Rosé

Comtes de Champagne Rosé Vinothèque

Comtes de Champagne Vinothèque

Cuvée Prestige

Demi-Sec

Future version of Comtes de Champagne

Les Folies de la Marquetterie

Nocturne

Nocturne Rosé

Prelude

Vintage

Inside Information

Consistently great but from time to time simply divine, Taittinger Comtes de Champagne has consecutively been an apt contender for the title of the best champagne on the market. All recent vintages have been successful; the intense 1996 being one of the finest of the vintage, the 1998 possessing classic Comtes elegance and the 1999 demonstrating a more softer side of Comtes. But in 2000 Taittinger and its reputed cellar master Loïc Dupont hit jackpot. This warm, overt vintage produced many heavy and overly ripe champagnes, but in Comtes the richness given by the year is bound to a velvet-smooth texture and a fine, fresh acidity that creates an exiting tension one wishes to marvel time and again.

 


Comtes de Champagne possesses a flawless track record all the way down to its inaugural vintage, 1952. It is reputed to be the first prestige cuvée blanc de blancs, if one does not count the then small mono-cru blanc de blancs Salon. Today it rivals for the title of the best blanc de blancs quite level-headedly with Dom Ruinart, Salon and Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires.
Why blanc de blancs then? It was already Pierre Taittinger who believed in Chardonnay. Following his instinct, he created the light and elegant Chardonnay-dominant floral and perfumed style as Taittinger’s trademark. Consistent with this vision, the house’s prestige cuvée was to be a 100 percent Chardonnay whose emphasis is on Avize and Mesnil fruit.

 


The wine is produced in a reductionist style in stainless steel vats but since the 1989 vintage a fraction of the wine has been aged in fairly new oak barrels for four months. This gives a boost to the wine’s creamy texture and enhances its hallmark toasty qualities.
After bottling the wines are transported to the ancient Gallo-Roman chalk cellars of Saint-Niçaise to ferment and mature. The St-Niçaise abbey was destroyed in the French Revolution and much later the Taittingers bought the ruins and built their cellars into these monumental historical surroundings. Today, the underground cellar network at St-Niçaise is used entirely for maturing Comtes de Champagne. The rest of production takes place at the modern winery facilities at Rue de la Justice.
Great champagnes are traditionally named after people. Taittinger makes no exception having chosen to honour the region by naming their prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne – Counts of Champagne. The origins of the Counts of Champagne lie in the 7th century feudal society. Originally, before the 11th century, the Counts of Troyes had had the ruling but during the time of Thibault II the power shifted to the Champagne County whose Count had his residence in Reims. Thibault II was a mighty man ranking only second to the king. However, it was especially during the times of Thibault IV Champagne flourished. He arranged famous 49-day festivities that brought prosperity to the region. The story of the Champagne Counts came to an end finally when the crown and the Champagne County were unites as Louis X rose to power. Taittinger, still owning the historical Comtes de Champagne residence today, named their prestige cuvée to honour this history.


Complex story but complex is the wine, too. The champagne’s smooth, layered character develops over 10 years’ ageing period in the cellars. This, the wine’s attractive 10 g/l dosage and sufficient post-disgorgement rest make Comtes de Champagne such an attractive champagne already upon release.
We toast to congratulate Taittinger. This house that has recently returned back to family hands, has quickly built a strong spirit with Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger at the helm supported by both of his children Clovis and Vitalie.

By Champagne magazine

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