Assuming you are asking my opinion, I think it’s good/very good but have only had a few bottles from the same case, so I’m sure I have only tasted one disgorgement. I’m assuming it was the initial one based on the fact I bought it in Europe upon its release. I think it is a vintage to consume on the earlier side and not to cellar for many decades.
2006 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne- France, Champagne (12/15/2016)
Mmmmmm this is tasty! Like taking a razor blade through a pillow…the citrus is SO fresh and alive, tingles the palate with tiny popping bubbles…I always wanted to invent the Champagne Pop Rocks candy!..lemon, ginger, bosc pear…then this amazing pillow softness(like a reddi whip hit) comforts with a coating of creme…vanilla, lite caramel, bread dough…and all the great terroir likes of burgundy brings to the chard grape with the savory minerality, chalky limestone dust…floral pretties as well. Youthful fo sho right now, but the texture is where it’s at! Flavors are tasty, but age will bring out the OMG’s…you definitely need a LOT of these in the cellar! +pts (96 pts.)
2006 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne- France, Champagne (10/25/2017)
This bottle was from a different case purchase and NOT at all like the glorious 4 bottles I’ve had previous. Acidic and angular, no pillow softness and finesse like the first 4? Second day not any better.
i also had been fortunate to have '06 dozen of time last year along with few rose and they have been very consistent scoring 94-96 pts. i need to keep my hands off them for while to see how it will age…
Older vintages of CdC have been some of the greatest Champagnes I’ve consumed. Specifically the '59, '61, '62, '66, '71 and '76 have been at or near the very top of the Champagne hierarchy in those vintages.
For me, best value in Tete Cuvee and my all round favorite glass of champagne. Blown away by the '96 near release and have been buying regularly ever since. I don’t buy much champagne priced between $40 & $90. I mostly buy stuff around $30-$35 and when I want a noticeable jump, head turning experience Comte is my 1st choice and its a tremendous value even at $110-$125/btl. Another super great thing about Comte is it drinks fantastic almost immediately while showing perfect balance & very complex. I prefer my champagnes closer to release in general anyhow.
Does anyone know if the wine that Taittinger puts into their Collection series (for example) is the same or different from what goes into CdC? I’ve had the 1981 Arman and the 1990 Corneille and the latter was really excellent
To build on what Russell said above - except for the first release in 1978, it is the same wine as the regular vintage except with a little more lees aging as it is normally disgorged a couple years after the last batch of the regular vintage release.
We did an 8-vintage vertical of CdC (along with an 8-vintage vertical of Krug side-by-side) back a few weeks ago. To my surprise, I preferred the CdC vertical over the Krug vertical … and save the '02 Krug, I preferred CdC in each vintage where we had both. 95 and 96 CdC were my wines of the night (followed by 02 and 96 Krug).
While I find young CDC to be powerful, I really prefer them with moderate age. Right now the ‘90 and ‘96 are in prime drinking windows, with the 1990 showing more age and development, though in no way tired (at least the small handful of bottles I’ve had). So that means I’m sitting on my 2002 and 2006s for at least another few years, probably more. In the meantime I’ll try to source some 1995, 1999, and find some 2004 and 2005 if I can.
I tried the 07 a few years ago with Pierre Emmanuel. Good for the vintage, but qualitatively on par with the 2005. That said, please buy lot of 2007, as it will hasten the release of the 2008 ! (An unbelievably great wine).