Taittinger Comtes De Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2011

Taittinger Comtes De Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2011 is a vintage prestige cuvée Champagne made from 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay at 12.5% ABV in a 750ml bottle. Scored 97 points by both James Suckling and Jane Anson, the 2011 vintage stands among the top releases in this storied line, combining a structured mineral backbone with refined autolytic complexity from nearly a decade of cellar aging.

Quick Facts: ABV: 12.5%  |  Origin: Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France  |  Vintage: 2011  |  Producer: Taittinger

Production & Heritage

Taittinger, one of the few major Champagne houses still under family ownership, created Comtes de Champagne in 1952 as its flagship prestige cuvée. The 2011 vintage draws exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards in Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Oger — the heart of the Côte des Blancs — using only juice from the first pressing. Approximately 5% of the blend is aged in fresh oak barrels before secondary fermentation, and the wine then rests for nine years in Taittinger's ancient chalk quarries beneath the Abbey of Saint-Nicaise in Reims, disgorged in April 2021 with a dosage of 9 g/l.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with mirabelle plum and orchard fruit before giving way to brioche, pastry, and a thread of liquorice. Underneath, precise autolytic character and a smoky mineral edge reveal the extended lees contact.

Taste: The palate enters bright and citrus-driven — glazed apple and lemon-infused pastry cream — then broadens at mid-palate with marzipan richness and ripe yellow plum. Phenolic structure and taut acidity keep everything focused, while saline minerality provides a chalky, almost flinty spine that runs the length of the wine.

Finish: The finish is long and ethereal, tapering to candied lemon, chalk dust, and delicate floral notes. It fades with an airy precision that rewards patience and invites the next sip.

How to Drink Comtes de Champagne 2011

Serve lightly chilled — around 10–12°C — in a white wine glass or large tulip to let the aromatic complexity unfold; this is a Champagne that benefits from air rather than a narrow flute. A Champagne Cocktail built with a sugar cube and a dash of Angostura lets the wine's minerality shine through the bitters. A French 75 gains depth and texture from the brioche and citrus layers here versus a standard Champagne. And a Kir Royale made with a restrained crème de cassis plays well against the wine's structured acidity and stone-fruit richness.

Best For

• Celebrating a milestone anniversary or landmark birthday with a truly distinguished bottle
• Gifting a serious Champagne collector who values Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs
• Anchoring a formal multi-course dinner alongside seafood or white truffle dishes
• Adding a prestigious back-vintage to a cellar for continued aging

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Comtes de Champagne 2011 taste like? It leads with bright glazed apple and lemon pastry cream, layered with marzipan and mirabelle plum, all carried by a pronounced chalky minerality and fine acidity. Extended lees aging contributes brioche and toasty autolytic depth that balances the fruit.

How does Comtes de Champagne 2011 compare to Dom Pérignon? Both sit in the same prestige cuvée tier in terms of quality and price, but Comtes de Champagne is a pure Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) while Dom Pérignon blends Chardonnay with Pinot Noir, resulting in a broader, more vinous profile. The Comtes tends toward greater linear precision, chalk minerality, and citrus-driven tension.

Is Comtes de Champagne 2011 good for sipping on its own? Absolutely — its complexity, balanced acidity, and long finish make it an outstanding wine to drink neat, and it rewards slow, attentive sipping from a proper glass at cellar temperature.

Where is Comtes de Champagne 2011 made? It is produced by the Taittinger house in Reims, Champagne, France, using fruit sourced exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs sub-region — specifically Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Oger.

What foods pair well with Comtes de Champagne 2011? Raw or lightly seared scallops echo its saline minerality. Dover sole with beurre blanc complements the lemon and pastry-cream notes. Aged Comté cheese mirrors the toasty, nutty autolytic character. White truffle risotto matches the wine's richness and structure. Lemon tart provides a citrus-on-citrus harmony that highlights the finish.

What sizes does Comtes de Champagne 2011 come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle; a 1.5L magnum format has also been produced for this vintage.

Is Comtes de Champagne 2011 worth the price? Comtes de Champagne positions as an ultra-premium prestige cuvée, competing directly with the likes of Dom Pérignon, Salon, and Bollinger RD. Its Grand Cru sourcing, first-press-only juice, nine years of cellar aging, and consistent critical acclaim — including 97 points from James Suckling and Jane Anson — place it firmly among the benchmarks of the category at its price tier.

Why Comtes de Champagne 2011?

What separates the 2011 from lesser vintages is the way structure and elegance coexist. Nine years of aging in the medieval chalk quarries beneath Saint-Nicaise — among the deepest and coolest cellars in Champagne — gave the wine time to develop profound autolytic complexity while preserving the laser-cut acidity that Grand Cru Côte des Blancs Chardonnay delivers. The decision to use only first-press juice and limit oak influence to just 5% of the blend keeps varietal purity at the forefront. With scores of 97 points from both James Suckling and Jane Anson and 94 points from William Kelley at Wine Advocate, the 2011 Comtes has earned its reputation as one of the most compelling prestige Blanc de Blancs of its vintage.