2006 Taittinger CdC Blanc

I know this wine has been widely discussed. I just wanted to add one more data point as I opened one today to see how it’s doing and for intel on how 06s are coming along.

I have developed a little fear over the past year that 06s will turn out to lack freshness and age-worthiness. It hasn’t come so much from my own tasting experiences, since I’ve generally been keeping my hands off young champagnes trying to give them some time. But there have definitely been some voices recently asserting that 06 might be turning out to be a bit less exciting than some of us (myself included) thought on release. So I wanted to see for myself.

I am very happy with what I’m tasting here. The 06 CdC seems like it’s in a great place and ready to go. And, most importantly, it tastes plenty fresh to me. I would not identify a lack of acid here at all. The nose is beautifully, typically, Taittinger. I love these tropical fruit notes–pineapple, guava, all kinds of great sweet citrus flavors. But a nice finish of acidity rounds it all off. Just lovely. I’m relieved and excited to drink through a lot of this wine.

Thanks for the check in and point of view. How far out would you place the drinking window?

I would say this is right in the first sweet spot. It certainly isn’t a fully mature Champagne with tertiary flavors etc. But it’s solidly in that first window where the initial, primary flavors have integrated. It’s fresh and sturdy but open.

Agreed, now is a great time to be opening this!