Taittinger - Champagner Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2006

DECANTER: "A mute, closed nose, but this is better on the palate, showing nicely evolved richness, subtle toast and autolytic notes, as well as stone fruits and citrus. It has cool, fresh acidity and good complexity, with impressive length on the finish. Drinking Window 2019 - 2028"

FALSTAFF: "Leuchtendes Gelb, Silberreflexe, zartes, anhaltendes Mousseux. Feine exotische Fruchtnuancen, Anklänge von Babyananas und Mango, floraler Touch, zarte Wiesenkräuter, ein Hauch von Biskuit im Hintergrund. Feine nussige Textur, weißer Pfirsich, straffer Säurebogen, ein Hauch von Feuerstein, elegante Fruchtsüße, großes Reifepotenzial."

ANTONIO GALLONI: "The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is striking, especially in the way it brings together elements of ripeness and freshness in a hypothetical blend of the 2002 and 2004. Smooth and creamy on the palate, the 2006 is all about texture. There is a real feeling of density and weight in the 2006, qualities I expect to see grow with time in the bottle. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. The 2006 has been nothing short of magnificent both times I have tasted it. Comtes de Champagne remains the single best value (in relative terms) in tête de cuvée Champagne. I suggest buying a case and following it over the next 20-30 years, which is exactly what I intend to do. There is little doubt the 2006 Comtes de Champagne is a magical Champagne in the making."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Very neat and complete with tightly laced texture and probably at peak now. Still very refreshing and just more complex rather than old."

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is settling into a deeper presence. It has a freshness that really appeals, along with Taittinger's signature toasty layer of autolysis, grilled nuts and praline. Plenty of flesh and weight on the palate. Acidity clasps ripe peach and mango fruits, finishing long, powerful and fine. Drink now."

THE WINEADVOCATE: "Tasted almost two years after disgorgement, the 2006 Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs shows a beautiful golden-citrus color and opens with a fascinating intense, floral, slightly reductive nose that develops enormously in the glass, offering lemon and lemon confit aromas along with flinty notes of crushed chalk and the iodine flavors of the Atlantic Ocean. This is an utterly complex and promising bouquet! The palate is terribly fresh but also rich, lush and intense, with the purity of the finest wines of the Côte de Blancs, the concentration of perfectly ripe Chardonnay and the suppleness of 2006. This has impeccable balance paired with high tension. The wine is very tight and still seems to be on its way right now. Although there is a first hint of aromatic ripeness, this should be a great Comtes de Champagne in a couple of years. The finish is tensioned, concentrated and mineral but keeps its talents in an almost bursting bubble. Disgorged September 2016; tasted May 2018"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Taittinger's prestige cuvée epitomizes the Chardonnay predilection of this producer. This now-mature bottling is elegant and very stylish. Toast and a soft texture combine with great complexity to reveal a wine that is poised and ready to drink. But with the acidity in the background, it could still age, so drink now and until 2022."