Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blanc 2014

The Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is the finest example of the Taittinger House style and is always a vintage cuvée. It is made with 100% Chardonnay from the 5 villages with a Grands Crus classification for the Chardonnay grape (Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Oger, Mesnil-sur-Oger).

This cuvée is created using juice from the first press only. A small percentage (5 %) of the blend is aged in fresh oak barrels to create the very delicate balance of toasted notes in the final wine. Taittinger knows it must be patient with these great Chardonnays, which are the crowning glory of its terroir; the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs remains for up to 10 years in the chalk quarries beneath Saint-Nicaise, before emerging to ignite and delight the palates of wine-lovers.

Critics thoughts - Not just toast but that grilled sourdough aroma you get in fancy cafés – mouth-watering! Savoury umami notes too: perhaps there's Marmite on that toast. Crunchy green-apple fruit which is surprisingly perky for its age, and a lighter body than I remember from previous vintages of this. The autolytic complexity continues on the palate, while the fruit becomes more like lemon sherbet. Not quite a long finish yet: this feels like there is more to unfurl. Wonderfully clean and lifted, none of the dried fruit of some vintage champagnes.  Points: 17.5++/20  jancisrobinson.com24 July 2024