F the haters. I love the pics you take!
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And on Friday I gave it a spin, despite this being outside my normal range. It was rather interesting and (for those of us in the cheap seats) worthy of a little more exploration at ~US$29.
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Looking back at all my tasting notes on 2006 Comtes, quite a bit of bottle variation. When it’s on it’s incredible.
Regarding the various descriptions like matchstick, toasted brioche, barrel smoke, etc. They all work and they work best for the individual that states such. Flavor perception, because often the actual flavor isn’t in the wine like lemon, ends up being highly personal.
For example, FMIII can pull stone fruit notes like nectarine or mango much better than me. I’ll get trapped in the dominant lemon and lime notes and miss some nuance which is part of the overall complexity.
Often I’ll comment and credit in my note what others found that I didn’t. Especially when I’m stumped, if I can’t figure it out I’ll ask for help. Frank and my wife are excellent at offering up specifics to bail me out.
Well said Brig and kind of what I was trying to say although I know we all can get all 3 of those notes in our own ways. I look forward to handling the descriptor challenge in your presence soon.
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Is it possible to make Comtes reductive? Meaning, Taittinger is making so much of that cuvee, isn’t the success of being reductive stymied by having so much volume to manage?
@brigcampbell Ok, so I’ll find the mango and white peach, and you keep telling the great stories. I have a real reverence for those people (like you) who can tell a great story. It’s a gift. Now, put a blindfold on me and make me discern stone fruits, well then, I can give that a real go. 
We’ll even dry clean the red carpet for your next visit. That would be wonderful.
Enjoying the Miami GP and a picture perfect afternoon here in HTX. Grand Cellier a delight as always with citrus, oyster shell, green apple, toast, bit of floral almond. Chalky, mouth coating texture. Precise, fairly concentrated, fairly long.
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No it’s not Champagne, but it could be. Outstanding Cava from Pere Mata. 2009 Gran Reserva, disgorged in 2024!
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I wanted to open this up for the Laherte Freres zoom last weekend but decided to wait until I could share this wine later in the week with a table of friends that gathered a few nights ago. My buddy brought the 2006 Comtes, which was flashy and delicious and that wine, and it’s known brand around the table, fired up everyone who quickly finished that bottle, leaving my bottle of Craie with plenty left to take home. I didn’t get to any of the leftovers last night but am finishing it off tonight. It’s time to grab 3 more of these from Caveau in Portland, who I have been getting this cuvee from the past few years. I’m really glad Aurelien chose to finally take his Vertus fruit and carve it away and call it Nature de Craie now. It’s a delicious and for me a special version of Chard.
- NV Laherte Frères Champagne Nature De Craie Premier Cru Brut Nature - France, Champagne (5/4/2025)
Another bottle of the May 2023 disgorgement. I recently learned that this wine is single vintage, but Aurelien elects to not label it as such, nor make any of the sans soufre or zero dose obvious in the front labeling (but declared on the back label where the font is kept small). Instead, he wants the person who buys/enjoys this cuvee to just have the focus go direct to 'this is Chardonnay on chalk' -- nothing added, no reserves, just the varietal on display. I opened this 2 days ago, and didn't even touch the wine last night, but when I removed the stopper today the pressure was very evident and preserved well. Two nights ago, the bottle got served alongside the 2006 Taittinger Comtes, which has more flash and density than Craie. So, that left enough in the bottle for me to take it home and retry it with the 2 days of air as most of the table crushed the Comtes. The hue on the wine is clear, with no gold or tinge of color to be found. Bright citrus, pear and white pepper aromas. A lot of green apple comes through this time, snappy green and very fresh. Like the previous bottle, there is some creaminess here, which then leads to flinty pear. The citrus here very much centered in the orange side of things, so think kumquat. And then a finish with something spicy, maybe gingery, it mixes with the flinty note so well. Drinking beautifully, and as with this cuvee and others I like made in the no dose style, let this warm up in the glass before you really judge (and hopefully enjoy it), as that better temperature allows all the flavors and texture to chase completely into your palate. This wine has become my co-favorite from the range, aging with Empreintes. Excellent!
Posted from CellarTracker
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• 2015 Alexandre Filaine Sensuum Vertigo
While this was enjoyable I was expecting more. Very little mousse, fine but not copious bead. Light citrus, brioche, some dried vegetal note, pebbly minerality. Linear, good acidic cut, versatile. Frankly less complex than I would have thought. Maybe it’s the vintage.
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I have no note to offer, but we had a Philipponnat Cuvee 1522 rose 2008 last week that was just glorious.
I am mainly posting just to thank the assembled bubble heads for making this thread so lively effervescent. I learn a lot every time I drop in.
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That 5/23 Craie is the bottle I opened for the LF Zoom event. Man-oh-man, it is absolutely stun-ning right now! 
2012 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
After pouring the sublime 2013 and the always satisfying 2006 for our guests two nights ago, I followed up last night with a 2012 Comtes for our tasting group. It started a bit tight and too cold, but as it warmed and opened it began to show its character: brioche, chalky apple and lemon, with good cut and persistence. It doesn’t hit the highs of the 2013 and it’s leaner than the 2006, but it still delivered. I’m glad to have several in the cellar and plan to give them more time. For now, I’ll reach for the 2002, 2004, 2006 or 2007 instead.
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Hoping it’s in full regalia in about a decade or so for my first born!
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I think you and your first born will be very pleased, unless you didn’t cellar several cases or more.
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I just ordered several 750s and magnums of various Pere Mata Cavas. They might be the best values in the entire sparkling wine world.
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It’s a fair question. 2006 Comtes often comes across as reductive to me—smoky, flinty, with that struck match character. While scale can make reductive handling harder, it’s not impossible. Taittinger ferments and ages Comtes entirely in stainless steel, and if they use low-oxygen practices throughout, some reductive traits can definitely show up, even at scale. Someone with more technical insight may be able to confirm or clarify. Happy to be corrected by someone more knowledgeable, which could be just about anyone
This was a half bottle with the classic red and gold label, placing disgorgement between 1995 and 2004. The cork code “1/10” likely indicates a 2001 disgorgement, probably built on the 1995 base vintage with older reserves. The wine matched that profile, showing an advanced character throughout. The cork was sound but released quietly, with no pop. The bead was nearly gone, such that it was difficult to discern between acidity and effervescence. The nose was fully mature with notes of dates, quince jelly, gingerbread, cider, and a hint of sherry. The palate was stunning, drinking more like an old grand cru white with the natural oxidation of time. On the palate, tangerine was prominent, with dates reappearing and a light touch of fino. The finish was ridiculously long. I loved it, though I will freely admit my soft spot for old Champagne. Paging Francois Audouze?
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I’d say Paula Kornell Brut or Roederer Estate has better values and accessibility.
I’ll concede on availability.