In the galaxy of great champagnes, few names evoke elegance and light as aptly as that of Counts of Champagne, the house's iconic vintage TaittingerVintage after vintage, it embodies the absolute quest for purity and finesse, the pinnacle of expression of Champagne Chardonnay.
Le Counts of Champagne Grands Crus Blanc de Blancs 2014 extends this tradition of excellence, producing a wine of crystalline precision and remarkable energy.
Maison Taittinger: a heritage of elegance
Officially founded in 1932, the Taittinger house made the bold bet of placing the Chardonnay at the heart of its style, a visionary choice at a time when Champagne favored the power of Pinot Noir.
This orientation, inherited from the patriarch Pierre Taittinger, has shaped a clear identity: that of lightness, grace and length.
Still, Vitalie Taittinger, president of the house, perpetuates this philosophy by combining high standards and modernity, anchored in the conviction that champagne is not only a wine for celebration, but a wine of emotion.
The vineyard, strong in 288 hectares : distributed 40 vintages, is one of the largest in Champagne. It ensures rare independence and precise control of the quality of the grapes. This mastery is part of a respectful approach: Taittinger is certified High Environmental Value (HVE3), Durable Viticulture in Champagne et ISO 14001, guarantees of a balance between excellence and respect for nature.
In the Gallo-Roman chalk pits of Saint-Nicaise, in the heart of Reims, time does its work. These centuries-old galleries, listed as UNESCO World Heritage, are home to the long repose of the Comtes de Champagne, a mineral silence that shapes the grandeur of the wine.
Comtes de Champagne 2014: the grace of a vintage
Year 2014 was mixed. After a mild winter and a bright spring, the summer was cooler, slowing down the ripening of the grapes. The harvest, which began in mid-September, produced Chardonnays of exemplary purity, combining aromatic maturity and natural tension.
From this careful harvest comes a champagne full of restraint and balance, faithful to the Comtes spirit: a wine that does not seek to impress, but to move.
Wine: precision, minerality and light
Assembled exclusively from the Grands Crus of the Côte des Blancs, Avize, Cramant, Chouilly, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the Comtes de Champagne 2014 is a 100% Chardonnay, a small part of which (6 to 8%) was vinified in barrels, adding a subtle nuance of roundness and complexity.
After ten years of maturation In the chalk cellars of Saint-Nicaise, the wine reveals an expression of striking purity.
Robe: crystalline, pale gold with silver highlights. The bubble, fine and regular, evokes the delicacy of a silk thread.
Nose: Initially mineral, chalky, almost iodized, it gradually opens up to notes of lemon meringue, fresh hazelnut, marzipan and white flowers. With aeration, the wine reveals a wider palette: white fruits, fine herbs, candied citrus fruits.
Mouth : The attack is caressing, vibrant, then the wine soars gracefully. The body is silky, crossed by a salivating tension. Noble bitters structure the finish, long, saline, with great precision.
A champagne at the young maturity, still full of momentum, but promised a long life, ten years and over without hesitation.
Agreements and moments
Served at 11°C, the Comtes de Champagne 2014 pairs with the greatest finesse with seafood or delicate dishes:
Carpaccio of Saint-Jacques,
Blue lobster just poached,
Sole meunière and julienne of vegetables,
or a Brillat Savarin refined accompanied by a roasted pear with spices.
It is a champagne for gastronomy, but also for meditation, a wine that we like to serve during suspended moments, where beauty is savored slowly.
Ainsi, le Comtes de Champagne 2014 embodies the purest expression of the Taittinger style: a Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs exclusively from Chardonnay harvested on the great chalky soils ofAvize, Cramant, Chouilly, Oger et Le mesnil-sur-gerA small part of the wine (6 to 8%) is aged in oak barrels for 4 to 6 months, bringing a touch of complexity and roundness. After ten years of aging in the house's thousand-year-old chalk pits, this vintage reveals a masterful balance between freshness, tension and depth. Promised to a 10 to 15 year old, the Comtes 2014 is ideally enjoyed served with 11 ° C, where its finesse is fully displayed.
A setting worthy of the myth
For this vintage, Taittinger unveils a new Counts of Champagne box set, a symbol of rethought luxury.
Made in France, this duo white and gold evokes the purity and light of wine. The golden motif, inspired by Gothic ribs and Team medieval pennants of the residence of the Counts of Reims, illustrates an intimate link between heritage and modernity.
Each line, each relief, echoes the vaulted cellars of Saint-Nicaise where the wine rests in silence.
The box of the Counts of Champagne Rosé takes up the same aesthetic, this time in a palette of powdery and luminous roses, a tribute to the vintage's dazzling color. Two settings, two expressions of the same art: that of timeless elegance.
Behind the technical precision and the beauty of the gesture, the Taittinger house cultivates a simple credo: let time reveal the truth of the wine.
Here, each vintage is written like a score, where the Chardonnay holds the clear note and the chalk the resonance. The Comtes de Champagne 2014 is part of this continuity: a wine of light, shaped by patience, inhabited by the memory of the soil.
Ema Lynnx
Alcohol abuse is dangerous. Consume in moderation.
