Mixed feelings here, the wine was very enjoyable with all the qualities expected of a good Napa cab with the downside being that i think im turning into the wine snob i hate. The wine had a vibrant cab purple hue in the glass with wonderful red/ blue fruits aroma, mouthfeel was fantastic with a freshness and acidity to balance out the fruit, the issue i had was not the wine as such it was for the first time i can recall the feelings of drinking the wine too young were really strong. Now i drink a lot of Saxum and Alban young which obviously have serious power but the Macdonald was young in a different way, very enjoyable though the liquid in the glass was at the time the feeling that it will be so much better when more developed bugged me. When you drink GSM wines young they can still be good fun as that youthful energy is in itself rewarding unless its extreme like a young Alban Grenache which will etch your tongue, with cab this is not the case, you have to let it develop over time. Hence im now turning into a mature wine snob !! Great !!!
2006 Comtes
I had a choice of this or Krug 2003, Krug was more money so based on some glowing reviews of the Taittinger lately i went for it. Bad move, i understand why people like this bottle it has some great flavours but as premium champagne im sorry it is lacking. I expect my fine champagnes to have a wonderful mouthfeel and that yeasty creaminess that Krug has in spades, the Comtes felt little different in this aspect to a regular good NV at $50-60 the flavour complexity was just not enough, also the dosage seemed heavy handed. Overall a good lesson in that if you want great bubbles trust in the K
Re: the realization that you’ve just drank a good wine too young, I’ve started taking the attitude that if I hadn’t tried it young, I won’t later be able to say “wow, this has really developed/improved/whatever”
Tracking a wines progress over time has become very rewarding to me, which is why I try to buy ageworthy wines in quantities of no less than 3.
I have made my thoughts known on the 2006 Comtes, and I simply don’t find it all that thrilling. I am in the minority, and so you may be joining me (at least with your current impression) as one of the very few dissenting voices. FWIW, here is my TN from last night’s bottle, which was from a buddy’s cellar.
2006 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne- France, Champagne (8/5/2018)
Didn’t take notes on this last night but I’ll add another TN for the mix from my recall. I remember telling my wife that I liked this bottle for the finish, the energy and clean impression. What I didn’t like, and continue to dislike on this wine which is why I sold all of my Comtes off a few months ago, is that the dosage/lemon-lime flavor seems sweet to me. There were better champagnes out last night that surpassed this Comtes, to include the Marie-Courtin Effloresence.
The '06 Comte is the first wine I’ve seen which Frank and I don’t share an affinity. It might not be my favorite Champagne, or even my favorite Comte, but I really enjoy it.
Sometimes, it’s nice to join a majority opinion! I’ll be careful though. As Emma Goldman said a hundred years ago, “The multitude, the mass spirit, dominates everywhere, destroying quality.”
I’ve commented on a few threads, Frank, that this bottle just didn’t do it for me. Packed the other 5 away for a long time. It’s a small club we’re in, though!
I’ve had 06 CdC twice this week on separate occasions. It doesn’t strike me as drinking particularly well right now (it was much, much better right at release). Like you, Alan, I plan on putting my 6 bottles away for a long time.
Yeah. The 06 was significantly better at release. However, theres been a whole bunch of waves of this wine too. More than I ever recall seeing for any champagne. Its made me wonder about batches.
I opened a bottle of the ‘12 Macdonald on Saturday night (followed a bottle of the ‘14 Dominus). Two very different experiences - the Dominus was smooth as silk, while the Macdonald was powerful and tightly wound even after 3+ hours in a decanter. Both were delicious and I considered myself very fortunate to be able to enjoy both with friends.