TaittingerComtesdeChampagneBlancdeBlancs2013

Originally known as Forest-Fourneaux with history dating back to 1734 and in 1932 Pierre Taittinger bought the House and the Taittinger label was born. A century of incredible growth saw Taittinger become one of the biggest producers and today is one of the last big independent, family-owned Houses. Pierre-Emmanuel retired in 2019 and was succeeded as President by his daughter Vitalie. They own 288-hectares of vineyards and the Taittinger style is the high percentage of Chardonnay. In 2017 Taittinger received two environmental accreditations: the ‘Viticulture Durable en Champagneâ€?(Sustainable vine-growing in Champagne) and the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE â€?High environmental sustainability.)rrTaittinger Comtes de Champagne is a prestige cuvée Blanc de Blancs made entirely from Chardonnay grapes sourced from the best Grand Cru vineyards in the prestigious Côte des Blancs region. It is only produced when the harvest is of exceptional quality worthy of a vintage year. Winemaking methods involve strictly using just the first press juice and ageing 5% of the wines for four months in new oak barrels â€?a third of which are renewed every year â€?to enhance the intrinsic qualities and complexities of the final blend. Presented in 18th century antique style bottles, this hand-crafted champagne is aged eighteen metres underground in the UNESCO status Saint-Nicaise cellars in Reims for a minimum of eight years before being released.rrWeather: The year 2013 stands out for a winter where temperatures fell below the ten-year average with periods of snow and freezing. Spring persisted with cool temperatures and was marked by heavy rainfall. Flowering began late in in July. An extremely sunny and warm summer helped the vines to offset these earlier delays. Harvest was late with Chardonnay picking beginning on October 1st. Maturity at harvest was very good, the Chardonnays combined notes of white flowers with citrus and hints of tropical fruits from the later September sunshine. They were powerful, structured and well-rounded with excellent length. The Pinots Noir grapes had good complexity with floral aromas of some yellow as well as the typical red fruit characters.rrTechnical Information:rVineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, OgerrGrape Varieties: 100% ChardonnayrLees ageing: 9 yearsrDisgorged: April 2023rDosage: 9 g/lrDrink: Now to 2030+rrTasting Note: The 2013 Comtes de Champagne captures all the pedigree of this great vintage in its energy, depth and vibrancy. Lemon confit, dried flowers, chamomile, spice and crushed rocks all race across the palate. Passionfruit, ginger, marzipan and mint appear later, filling out the layers beautifully.- Tasted by Antonio Galloni