Taittinger Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne 2006

98 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "We started with the 2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, which is every bit as racy and seductive as it has always been. It’s a great, great vintage for Comtes. Drink: 2022-2046. (Dec 2022)"

97 points Tyson Stelzer (The Champagne Guide): "(Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the pillars of Comtes, supported by Oger, Chouilly and Cramant; 5-6% aged in barrels for 4-5 months, to add body and subtle burnt vanilla and coconut character; 9g/L dosage). On the eve of its release, the 2006 brings back all the wonder of classic Comtes, the innocence of a joyful childhood, a free-as-air dash through endless blue daylight and a breathless plunge into an icy mountain rock pool. A wine of coiled energy, focus and precision, it leads with lemon, lime, grapefruit, crunchy apple and pear. Then it drops back a gear, with a fleeting suggestion of pineapple that hints at the volume of the ripe 2006 season, yet not for a moment volunteering any secondary development yet. Magnificent tones of gun flint and grilled toast reduction linger through a finish of great focus and stamina. Its textural presence is mouth-embracing, permeating every crevice, masterfully uniting very fine phenolic grip with delightfully fine, frothing salt minerality that bores to the very core of the finest chalkfields of the Côte des Blancs. (2016-2017)"

97 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Bright yellow with silver reflections and a delicate, persistent mousse. Fine tropical fruit nuances, hints of baby pineapple and mango, floral touch, delicate meadow herbs and a touch of cookie in the background. Fine nutty texture, white peach, taut acid arc, a touch of flint, elegant fruit sweetness, great certain ageing potential. (11/24/17)"

95-97 points Essi Avellan, MW: "Stylishly restrained, pure nose of coffee, smoke, milled chalk, vanilla and peaches. Pristinely yet subtly fruity nose. There is an under-control reductive character waiting to express itself as toasty opulence. Subtly textured, seamless, perky palate with electric vivacity. Richer palate than what was promised by the slightly reserved nose. Fresh, light-weight and salivating. Lovely generosity and silky smoothness. The magnums are magical. (May 2020)"

96 points Stephan Reinhardt (Wine Advocate): "Tasted almost two years after disgorgement, the 2006 Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs shows a beautiful golden-citrus color and opens with a fascinating intense, floral, slightly reductive nose that develops enormously in the glass, offering lemon and lemon confit aromas along with flinty notes of crushed chalk and the iodine flavors of the Atlantic Ocean. This is an utterly complex and promising bouquet! The palate is terribly fresh but also rich, lush and intense, with the purity of the finest wines of the Côte de Blancs, the concentration of perfectly ripe Chardonnay and the suppleness of 2006. This has impeccable balance paired with high tension. The wine is very tight and still seems to be on its way right now. Although there is a first hint of aromatic ripeness, this should be a great Comtes de Champagne in a couple of years. The finish is tensioned, concentrated and mineral but keeps its talents in an almost bursting bubble. Disgorged September 2016; tasted May 2018. Drink: 2020-2034. (Jun 2018)"

96 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2006 vintage of Taittinger’s iconic Comtes de Champagne bottling is a beautifully refined example of the vintage, offering up a pure and vibrant bouquet of apple, pear, brioche, complex, chalky soil tones, hazelnut, a touch of orange zest, white flowers and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and supremely elegant in profile, with outstanding mid-palate intensity, utterly refined mousse, bright acids and laser-like focus on the very long, nascently complex finish. Whereas many examples from the 2006 vintage are drinking very well at age ten, it is still very early days for this outstanding Comtes de Champagne and this wine will not peak for at least another decade, though it is already very, very easy to drink! I would be inclined to let it hibernate in the cellar for at least another five years, just to allow its secondary layers of complexity to start to emerge. 2021-2060. (Sep/Oct 2016)"

96 points James Suckling: "This is settling into a deeper presence. It has a freshness that really appeals, along with Taittinger's signature toasty layer of autolysis, grilled nuts and praline. Plenty of flesh and weight on the palate. Acidity clasps ripe peach and mango fruits, finishing long, powerful and fine. Drink now. (1/7/18)"

96 points (18/20) La Revue du Vin de France (2018).

95 points Charles Curtis, MW (Decanter): "A cold winter and scattered frost were followed by a hot, dry July. August rains cleared in time for the two weeks of dry, warm weather before a harvest in near-perfect conditions from 11 September. The Comtes is softly rich and lush, with an elegant, approachable ripe apple fruit, a hint of buttered toast and a firm mineral underpinning. Although the texture is somewhat soft, this wine has plenty of extract and potential for ageing. Drinking Window: 2022-2040. (1/5/22)"