A quiet but lovely birthday celebration with what I think might be my favourite Champagne and some really delicious takeout burgers from one of our city’s best restaurants.
My second bottle of '07, with Comtes I am always struck at how a wine can be so sensual and inviting but keep a weightless, dancing quality about it. Exquisite stone and chalk on the nose with white flowers, delicious caramel apple like you’d get at a state fair, and buttered, airy brioche; after about an hour an attractive iodine character appeared on the nose. I could sniff this all night.
It’s more lean and incisive on the palate, with a delicate mousse and a fresh, lemon-laden finish. Not as beautifully tense and taut as the 2004 - my “a-ha!” moment with Champagne - but this is an appetizing rendition and I cannot wait to bankrupt myself buying as much 2008 as I can get my hands on.
My partner also surprised me with a pair of Zalto universal glasses as a present which I took on their maiden voyage with this wine. Between these and GLASVIN, I’m lucky to drink out of some seriously good stems.
Thanks Brian! Seeing what you’ve liked in the past I think you’d totally dig the focus and vibrancy that I think defines Comtes.
Thanks Jan! Champagne and anything, basically, but it really helped cut the richness of the burg.
I had a glass of the '06 last year and as I recall it was a little more broad and generous - a little bit less pointed and energetic and a touch more concentrated but still delicious, of course. I’d probably reach for the '07 and '04 before the '06, but I would happily drink as many bottles as I could get my hands on of any of them.
I just noticed some strange pricing on the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne in Australia. The 2007 retails for a whopping AU$330, while the 2008 Dom Perignon is AU$280. I see the prices in the US are inverted, with the Dom Perignon costing more than the CdC. Needless to say, I will not buy CdC down under and will have to wait for my butt to touch European ground …
Thanks for the great note Sean. I share your enthusiasm for the 2007 and I far prefer it to the 2006.
Quick PSA for anyone interested- for whatever reason, the 2007- as well as the 2004 as I noted in another thread recently- can be had at auction right now for a song compared to prevailing retail. It is a good thing to keep watch for if you want some serious QPR for a tete-de-cuvee. $125ish USD with buyer’s premium is happening here and there even though the wine took a steep retail jump in 2007, presumably to prepare the market for 2008 though I like the 2007 enough that I still think it is worth the going retail rate.
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