x
  • Country ranking ?

    983
  • Producer ranking ?

    42
  • Decanting time

    15min
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Smoked Salmon on Cucumber Rounds

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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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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Vintage 1999

A difficult start to the year led to early budbreak. There were some damaging hailstorms in early May, but the frost ultimately stayed away. The summer was overall warm and thanks to the hot and dry August, the grapes looked promising for the harvest. However, a damp September challenged producers and dilution was an issue for some. The 1999 harvest that started on September 15th produced a large yield (12,989 kg/ha) of sweet grapes that resul...

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Tasting note

color

Medium, Green-Yellow and Clear

ending

Long, Vibrant and Smooth

flavors

Vanilla, Honey, Bread, Creamy, Buttery and Dried-fruit

nose

Mature, Fresh, Complex and Pure

taste

High in Acidity, Low alcohol content, Perfectly balanced, Well-Integrated, Balanced, Youthful, Medium-bodied, Round, Fresh, Full and Dry

Verdict

Excellent

Written Notes

1999 is far from my favourite vintage in Champagne. Both 1998 and 2000 have made far superior wines for me, though some Houses like their '99's more than those other years. Inevitably, there will be variation throughout the region. And surely this glorious Taittinger is one of those to buck the conventional wisdom. This is undoubtedly one of the very best '99's around. And as much as I enjoyed it, others liked it even more. Clean, fresh, very attractive and with a soft cashew nut-like character, this is a joy to drink. Always one of the best blanc des blancs. It does not match the brilliant 1996, but a star nonetheless. 93
  • 93p

Good looking normal size bottle, in an perfect condition and has by the neck level. Colour is gold, and looking clear and medium. On the nose it is mature and complex. The taste is fresh, full, round, and dry, and high in acidity, medium-bodied, with perfectly balanced and well-integrated structure. On the palate it is layered and has creamy, buttery, bread, white fruits, honey and dried-fruit flavours. The finish is long and vibrant. This wine is excellent. I paid around 200-500€ a bottle. Perfectly stored bottles are still very worthy and will last well for another 5-10€ years, decant at least 15min before tasting and this is not a good invest wine. Good value for money.

  • 94p

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1999 / Medium-deep lemon yellow colour. Complex and smooth nose of tropical fruits, cosmetics, pastry and floral notes. Intense and firm palate. Still slightly closed requiring time. Long and structured.

  • 92p
Comte de Champagne 1999 Open and very rich and toasted nose with very ripe tropical fruits, coffee, caramel notes, sweet spices, honey and just the faintest little mineral note that makes it a bit more interesting and deep. However this is pretty much an ”in your face” nose with a lot of intensity but without much depth. Full and lush though slightly hollow mid-palate that turns into a sweet candyesque finish with hard lemon candy, tropical fruit, roasted nuts and orchard fruit. What the wine has in charm and richness it lacks in elegance and finesse. Very nice drink today but its borderline over the top. 90p Drink now-2018
  • 90p
Smakad som "prerelease" några veckor efter degorgering. I dag helt sluten och oförlöst. Strukturen är dock oklanderlig så vi har säkert en klassisk krämig Comtes att se fram emot.
  • 94p
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Information

Origin

Reims, Champagne

Vintage Quality

Above Average

Value For Money

Satisfactory

Investment potential

No Potential

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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