2013 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

“Fantastic complexity here with aromas of toast, biscuit, lemon, almond, chalk and some fennel. It's long, sleek and mineral, with tight, very fine bubbles and so much tension and precision. Very long and chalky finish. Disgorged end of 2023. Drink or hold.” – Claire Nesbitt Review Date: July 2024

“The 2013 Comtes de Champagne is a towering Champagne, as it was last year. Rich, sumptuous and explosive, the 2013 soars out of the glass with a captivating mix of tropical fruit, apricot, passion fruit, baked apple tart, mint and yellow flowers. It is one of the most explosive, extroverted Comtes I have ever tasted. Impressive. 2025-2053.” – Antonio Galloni Review Date: March 2024

Cellar Selection “This beautiful Chardonnay from five top Grand Cru vineyards is textured with fruit that is still impressively perfumed. Its concentration has allowed it to remain perennially young. Although there are hints of toastiness, the Champagne has many more years of potential. Drink now and at least up to 2027.” – Roger Voss Review Date: December 2023

“A very compelling vintage for Taittinger, the 2013 Champagne Blanc De Blancs Comtes de Champagne is more structured and deeper compared to the 2014. It has an impeccable balance of decadence and tension. Full-bodied, with persistent focus, it has a mouthwatering finish with vibrant driving acidity and saltiness that accents the wine's core of ripe stone fruit and citrus oil texture. This is going to be a great vintage to drink over the coming decades. Drink 2025-2050.” – Audrey Frick Review Date: December 2025

“Taittinger’s 2013 Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne, disgorged in December 2023 with a dosage of nine grams per liter, is well worth seeking out. Derived from a long, slow ripening season marked by cool nights and an October harvest, it is slightly less acid-driven and a touch fleshier than the 2008, offering up a deep bouquet of nashi pear, lemon confit, freshly baked bread, almond paste and a gentle smoky reduction edge. On the palate, it is full-bodied and incisive, with a concentrated core of fruit, bright acids and considerable tension, culminating in a persistent, saline finish. While already indicative of its potential, its best days are still ahead, and it should continue to improve over the next two decades or more. Choosing a favorite between the 2013 and 2014 will be difficult, as both are strong editions of Comtes. Drink Date: 2026 – 2053 …The Taittinger style is expressive, emphasizing charming fruit, yet enhanced by vinification in large vessels with limited oxygen exposure, it takes on a subtly reductive edge and increasing tension as one ascends the house hierarchy toward the flagship Comtes de Champagne bottlings. First produced in 1952, Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is among the most consistently age-worthy wines in the region, yet it continues to represent compelling value when compared with the same category of cuvées from other large houses… ” – Kristaps Karklins Review Date: December 2025