Taittinger Comtes De Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2006

Taittinger Comtes De Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2006 is a prestige cuvée Champagne made from 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay, bottled at 12.5% ABV in a 750ml format. Awarded 98 points by Vinous (Antonio Galloni), this vintage stands among the most critically acclaimed prestige Champagnes of the decade, with additional scores of 96 points from both Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and James Suckling.

Quick Facts: ABV: 12.5%  |  Origin: Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France  |  Vintage: 2006  |  Producer: Taittinger, Reims

Production & Heritage

Taittinger remains one of the few family-owned and independently operated Grande Marque Champagne houses, headquartered in Reims. Comtes de Champagne is the house's flagship prestige cuvée, produced only in exceptional vintages using 100% Chardonnay sourced exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs — specifically the villages of Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Oger, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Only juice from the first pressing is used; approximately 5% of the base wines are aged for four months in new oak barrels (one-third replaced annually), adding subtle complexity without overwhelming the Chardonnay's purity. The finished wine then rests for roughly ten years in Taittinger's ancient chalk quarries beneath Reims before disgorgement and release.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with an intense floral character and bright lemon confit, evolving into flinty crushed-chalk minerality and a subtle iodine-saline note reminiscent of sea air. Extended time in the glass reveals layers of grilled nuts, praline, and delicate mandarin fruitiness alongside sweet pastry and candied fruit.

Taste: The entry is vivacious and razor-fresh, with racy acidity framing glazed apricot, ripe peach, and passion fruit. The mid-palate turns rich, smooth, and full-bodied, showing grapefruit flesh, ground anise, and biscuit complexity. There is a striking interplay between creamy texture and chalky minerality that gives the wine both power and precision.

Finish: Long, focused, and remarkably fine, with lingering spice notes recalling licorice root and a persistent mineral echo. The acidity carries the finish well beyond expectation, leaving a clean, almost saline imprint.

How to Drink Comtes de Champagne 2006

This is a Champagne built for contemplation — serve it at around 50–54°F in a large white wine glass rather than a narrow flute to allow the complex aromatics to fully develop. It is best enjoyed on its own or alongside refined dishes. A Champagne Cocktail (sugar cube, Angostura, topped with this wine) highlights its toast and spice character. A French 75 made with Comtes de Champagne elevates the classic with Grand Cru depth. For a minimalist serve, a Kir Royale using a restrained measure of high-quality crème de cassis can complement the wine's stone-fruit intensity without masking it — though many will rightly insist a wine of this caliber deserves to be sipped unadorned.

Best For

• Celebrating a milestone anniversary, retirement, or once-in-a-lifetime achievement
• Gifting a serious Champagne collector or wine enthusiast
• Hosting an intimate fine-dining course with seafood or white truffle dishes
• Building a cellar of benchmark prestige cuvée vintages

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Comtes de Champagne 2006 taste like? It leads with bright citrus and stone fruit — lemon confit, glazed apricot, peach — layered over a rich mid-palate of biscuit, grapefruit, and anise, all carried by intense chalky minerality and fine acidity. The finish is long and spice-driven with a licorice note.

How does Comtes de Champagne 2006 compare to Dom Pérignon 2006? Both are prestige cuvée Champagnes from the 2006 vintage, but Comtes de Champagne is a Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) while Dom Pérignon blends Chardonnay with Pinot Noir, resulting in a broader, more vinous profile. Comtes de Champagne 2006 scored 98 points from Vinous compared to Dom Pérignon 2006's 96 from the same critic, reflecting its exceptional purity and mineral tension.

Is Comtes de Champagne 2006 good for sipping neat? Absolutely — this is a contemplative Champagne designed for slow, attentive drinking. Its decade of aging on the lees before release gives it a complexity and depth that rewards patient, unhurried sipping.

Where is Comtes de Champagne made? It is produced by Taittinger in Reims, France, using exclusively Grand Cru Chardonnay from five classified villages in the Côte des Blancs sub-region of Champagne: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Oger, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.

What foods pair well with Comtes de Champagne 2006? Seared scallops with citrus beurre blanc echo its stone-fruit and mineral character. Dover sole meunière complements the toasty, buttery autolysis notes. Aged Comté cheese mirrors the wine's nutty complexity. White truffle risotto amplifies its richness, while fresh oysters on the half shell play directly into its chalky salinity.

What sizes does Comtes de Champagne 2006 come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle, and magnum (1.5L) formats have also been produced for this vintage.

Is Comtes de Champagne 2006 worth the price? Comtes de Champagne positions firmly in the ultra-premium prestige cuvée tier, competing directly with Dom Pérignon, Krug, and Salon. With scores of 98 (Vinous), 96 (Parker), and 96 (Suckling), the 2006 vintage is considered one of the finest recent releases of this cuvée, and its critical acclaim supports its standing at this price level.

Why Comtes de Champagne 2006?

What distinguishes this wine is the uncompromising sourcing — first-press juice only, drawn from some of the most revered Chardonnay terroir on earth — combined with nearly a decade of patient aging in Taittinger's Gallo-Roman chalk cellars. The 98-point score from Antonio Galloni at Vinous places it among the highest-rated prestige Champagnes of the 2006 vintage. The subtle 5% new-oak aging adds a dimension of toasty richness without diminishing the laser-focused minerality that defines great Côte des Blancs Blanc de Blancs. For collectors and serious Champagne drinkers, the 2006 Comtes de Champagne represents a benchmark expression of what Grand Cru Chardonnay from this region can achieve with time and precision.