A Regal Showing from Taittinger: 2008 Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs

Last night, Cinnamon and I drank one of the most long-awaited prestige cuvée releases, the 2008 Taittinger "Comtes de Champagne" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne. I can’t remember fielding quite as many calls and emails for a Champagne since the 2002 Krug was released, and for good reason—this is a prestige cuvée that delivers on all of its promise. I had already been extremely impressed with another preview bottle on Saturday with the team at work, but, at home, with time and food, I was blown away.

This is just the 37th release of the Comtes, the first being the 1952. It is entirely grand cru, and only from the Côte de Blancs, made from a selection of the best lots from Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil, and Oger. Only the cuvée is used, the first most gentle pressing, and the wine is fermented almost entirely in stainless steel, with just 5% going into oak. The wine is then aged for a minimum of 10 years on the lees, and is only just now being released at 12 years old, enjoying a bit of time on the cork as well.

I prepared seared ahi with a wasabi beurre blanc sauce to pair with the Champagne, an idea that I borrowed from the Fish Market restaurant. And while I think it was a very successful pairing, this Champagne can also be enjoyed on its own as the aperitif. At 12 years old, it is drinking very well, but like most 2008s, it will enjoy a long life and gain complexity for decades to come. This wine is full of extroverted toasted brioche, and the bouquet is among the most generous that we have in stock. In the mouth, the chalky, concentrated power of the vintage comes out—this wine is packed with white flowers and pain au levain in the middle. The finish is as long as they come, and this is where the wine does its best trick, switching from powerful to elegant, from concentrated to refreshing, all while charming me with kaleidoscopic complexity that goes on and on. Looking back at my notes on the excellent and very well-priced 2007 Taittinger "Comtes de Champagne", I had compared that vintage to Puligny-Montrachet because of its limey drive. This 2008 reminds me of the graceful power of Chevalier-Montrachet—it has it all.

If you have it in your budget for a splurge, or if you are building a collection, I cannot recommend this great 2008 highly enough.

A toast to you!

- Gary Westby