2006 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANC BRUT- Ive reported on this champagne many times as Ive had numerous bottles; I bought my first 2 6 packs early on when first released and loved every bottle; Ive read and heard some on this board and others say there were 2 different releases and the 2nd release was not nearly as good as the first so i bought another 6 pack reportedly from a newly arrived shipment which I am told from an informed source was from a 2nd release to do a comparison; there is no difference IMHO; this is consistently fine champagne with similar consistent notes of excellence; Ive also stated this and other earlier 2000s CdCs seemed to have a different and more elegant profile than those of the 90s and older and I still maintain that is true; even in its youth, the 06` is beautifully expressive, has depth and complexity and exudes the royalty expected from a grande marques.
I’ve toured the caves many times and saw first hand that they produced an enormous volume in 04 and to a lesser extent, 06. Perhaps given differing disgorgement dates, people view them as different releases? That said, I bought many cases, and haven’t noted variation of consequence.
Blake, I have drank 8 bottles since release, across various settings and provided in some cases by others (not from my cellar) and I have really liked some bottles, and yet with others I have found the wines more sweet in tone, or at least to my fragile, EB palate to be such that I found them sweet.
I have no idea whether there were 2 batches or whatever the case but I can say that I have found variation.
I have some left from the shipment that I really liked (which spurred my reorder), so will go into one of those with a good, stable, clean palate and see what I think.
The best I had was from magnum. That was one excellent bottle.
It would be interesting to know why different disgorgements of the same Champagne would create distinctly different profiles, but apparently it can happen.
I remember Frank youve voiced that previously and along with other similar comments, I set out to find out the difference. I cant be 100% sure I got a different batch release, but it was clear they all were stellar with little deviance from one to the next. Also, one in our dinner group brings it and his bottles have emulated.
I know your palate enough to know there was “more sweet in tone” in some. Maybe Brad Baker can shed some light on this. Are you there?
BTW, Frank, come to SB and will open a couple of these up.
I do believe there is a variable with you and others having had that experience. These days, my palate seems to be going through lots of changes. For a wine to maintain consistent fine qualities bottle after bottle is a real treat and reminds me it is still possible. Come to SB for a taste Merrill.
I’m going to try to do this - you have always been generous with your invitations! Don’t know which wines we will share, but I am sure it will be an excellent time. I am just now working on my 2018 travel schedule.
From what I recall, it was not sweetness that accounted for the difference. Maybe you or someone can locate and bring back that other thread. I keep no notes on my leisure wines - too much like work (EMH work). I love my growing/winery work, but I like to give it a rest, too.
I have to say I’m continually surprised at the widely positive reception the '06 CdC gets. I’ve tried various bottles of the '06 on various occasions, including at Taittinger’s own cellars in Reims, and have been underwhelmed every single time. For me it’s just been thin and lacking in nuance. And I tend to like CdC a lot - I have (and/or have tried) the '98, '00, '02, '04 and '05
Perhaps they were all from the first or second batch and if I were to try something from the other batch my experience would be better? Has anyone else experienced anything like this?
I might have the bottle from the first batch that I tasted. Or the cork. Or both. I have a large bay window in my kitchen that holds many emptied bottles of note. Will look to see if I have anything that points to the difference. But I am a newbie with Champagne.
It`s this kind for feedback from people whose palate I respect that led me to buy more and hopefully a different batch to compare. I remained shocked. I just shared this bottle with 16 others at a recent lunch and heard nothing but unsolicited raving remarks from everyone. And this bottle showed just like all others.
I started appreciating this wine with from 81` on. Those had that bigger, more toasty style that led to my comments about a style change somewhere around 2000. IMHO, each release has been much more elegant and less full throttled [and I never considered it to be too much, just bigger than as of more recent].
They make a lot of Comtes. Forgetting about DP (which is its own universe in terms of quantity), this is one of the highest volume prestige cuvees on the market. They disgorge multiple times over a year or two (sometimes even three depending on the release cycle). I wouldn’t call them distinct releases as different disgorgements can sometimes get released at the same time but anytime you disgorge a wine over a multi-year period, you have a chance for differences to develop. Extra lees aging can change a wine and change the way dosage effects the wine. This is why some producers will change the dosage for different disgorgements. Also as they make hundreds of thousands of bottles of this wine, there is going to be some variation especially considering different sources, the gray market, and how well distribution took care of the wine.
Most of the biggest effects of lees aging are seen by the time a wine turns 8 years old so wines that see at least 8 years of lees aging (a lot of prestige cuvees) are not going to see big swings between different disgorgements as you might see in wines that are disgorged at younger ages. You can see a big difference in a wine disgorged with 3-4 years of lees aging and one with 7-8 years of lees aging.
I am a believer in an optimum time to disgorge although there is no formula or science that tells you what this optimum time is. Occasionally a Champagne hits this magic disgorgement and even a 3-6 month difference in disgorgement results in a very different wine. This is not the norm, but it does happen. Don’t ask me why/how - I don’t know. Studies are being done on this, but it is still based on taste and experience and remains a bit of a black art and changes from cuvee to cuvee and winery to winery.
Generally, disgorgements of prestige wines that are within a couple years of each other can start off quite different, but over a 3-5 year period come together as the differences fade. This isn’t always the case as you do get the ‘optimum disgorgement’ examples, but it usually is. It isn’t until you start talking about wines disgorged multipleyears apart or dosed differently that the differences stay.
As for the 2006 Comtes, I think the wine is consistent across all sound bottles I have had. I like it and think it delivers for the money and the vintage; it isn’t a great Comtes, but it meets expectations. The only odd thing I noticed with this vintage (2006) is that I have had a higher rate of affected/corked bottles (both at the winery and purchased) than what I have had with any other vintage. Probably just random luck, but it has stuck out to me.
I haven’t noticed a stylistic change and the winemaking has’t changed other than a little more lees aging, but the recent vintages have been a bit of an odd bunch. The 2000 has been a darker, tighter wine that hasn’t been very expressive. It is slowly aging and will get there, but will never be as expressive as most vintages IMO. 2002 was a year of over-ripe Chardonnay and Taittinger tried to find balance. The end result was riper and fruitier than normal. I do believe this will go very toasty with lots of creamy caramel and honeycomb; it will just take time. The 2004 is a sunshine vintage that is elegance in the bottle. This is a long term ager. I love it, but this is going to take a long time to show the flavors you are looking for and will always be more mineral and elegant as that is the character of the vintage. 2005 is a forward year that lacks structure. Taittinger tried to bring this into the wine and the end result (to me) is one of fruit and honey, but not the oomph of better vintages. It is still tasty, but does have a bit of a one-dimensional aspect to it. 2006 is also a more forward, heavy year and Taittinger tried to find a way to give it a bit more grace. I think this will go quite toasty over time too.
As mentioned above, the only change I can really note is that for many of the releases of the 80s and early to mid-90s vintages, the wine was disgorged/released 1-2 years younger than it is today. This may have also contributed to the different profile you mention - especially when young. With time though, I think these vintages will get to or close to the character you love so much.
Brad, If you have had an opportunity to taste multiple disgorgements of the 2002 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas Francois, did you notice any major difference? Thanks.
I have only had disgorgements of this from 2015 so I can’t say what all might be out there. I will say that I have loved every bottle of this that I have had and they have all been consistent.
