Taittinger Comtes De Champagne Brut Champagne 2012

This is quite a gorgeous and lifted expression of the Taittinger Comtes with a pretty aroma set of lemon, grapefruit, toast, marzipan, white flowers, and a delicate minerality. The palate is precise with a wonderful balance of lemon, bake shop notes, tangerine oil, and wet stones. This felt to your writer as a more open knit and ready to drink Comtes versus the monumental 2008.  

The 2012 Comtes de Champagne is gorgeous. Warm and resonant in the glass, the 2012 Comtes shows all the allure that makes this vintage so appealing. The combination of bright citrus, mineral and floral notes typical of Comtes, enhanced by the soft contours of the vintage, makes for an inviting, open-knit Champagne that is quite showy right out of the gate. Light tropical accents on the finish add an exotic flair. Usually I recommend cellaring just-released Comtes, but that won’t be necessary here. 96 Points Vinous, May 2022