Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2015 with gift box
In the glass, a pale gold colour and a fine bubble. The first nose is citrus: candied lemon, barely grated lime zest; then come white flowers, chalk, a hint of mint and a touch of smokiness, almost gunflint. On the palate, everything is lightness: a delicate, airy, crystalline texture, where slate…
ALL CHAMPAGNES FROM TAITTINGERThe expert verdict
The structure of this champagne
TASTING NOTES
In the glass, a pale gold colour and a fine bubble. The first nose is citrus: candied lemon, barely grated lime zest; then come white flowers, chalk, a hint of mint and a touch of smokiness, almost gunflint. On the palate, everything is lightness: a delicate, airy, crystalline texture, where slate and citrus come through, with the flavourful touch of the vintage and a fine grip that gives it structure. The 9 g/L dosage goes unnoticed. The finish is long and saline, on chalk and lemon. Serve at around 10-12 °C, in a wine glass. Recently disgorged, in July 2025, it remains a little tight: allow five to ten years of cellaring for it to develop the toasted and creamy notes of Comtes de Champagne at maturity.
The composition
Terroirs
Five grand cru villages of the Côte des Blancs, and only these: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Their chardonnay, planted on chalk, is the sole grape used for Comtes de Champagne, and the house keeps only the first pressing. The 2015 vintage was hot and dry, with strong contrasts throughout the season; the drought slowed ripening, and Taittinger sought freshness above all. 6 to 8% of the wines spent four to six months in oak barrels. Then nine years on lees, in Reims, in the Gallo-Roman chalk quarries on which the Abbey of Saint-Nicaise once stood. Disgorged in July 2025, dosage 9 g/L.
About this house
Taittinger traces its history back to 1734 and the wine trading house founded by Jacques Fourneaux. The house took its current name in 1932, when Pierre Taittinger acquired Forest-Fourneaux and the Château de la Marquetterie. It ages its wines in the Gallo-Roman chalk quarries of the former Abbey of Saint-Nicaise, in Reims. Sold in 2005, bought back as early as 2006 by Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, it has been led since 2020 by Vitalie Taittinger.
Born with the 1952 vintage, Comtes de Champagne ranks among the very first prestige cuvées in blanc de blancs; it exists only as a vintage wine and bears the name and seal of Thibaut IV, Count of Champagne and King of Navarre. In its gift box, the 2015 is a bottle worth giving: Antonio Galloni (Vinous, 97/100) sees it as "a real success" in a difficult year, while Essi Avellan considers it one of the purest expressions of the vintage.
The perfect pairing
Aperitif
The melted cheese and buttery choux pastry of gougères find their counterpoint in the chalk and lemon of the Comtes; the fine bubble lightens every bite.
Starter
The delicate flesh of raw sea bass, a drizzle of oil, red onion: the lime zest and the wine's saline finish provide the seasoning.
Main course
The sweet, briny flesh of lobster calls for a prestige cuvée: the chalky tension of the Comtes highlights its sweetness, its 9 g/L dosage complements it without sweetening the dish.
