Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2012 (750ML)

99 JS / 96 VM / 96 JM / 96 WS / 96 WE / 95+ WA / 95 DE / 18 JR

#2 Wine Spectator Top French Sparkling Wines of 2023
#20 Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2023

This is a fantastic and refined Blanc de Blancs. So layered and complex, with lemon curd, chalk, hazelnuts, pastries, baked apples and almond croissants. Structured and tightly wound, with almost imperceptible bubbles. Delicious salty notes at the end. Beautiful. Drink or hold.--James Suckling

The 2012 Comtes de Champagne is gorgeous. Warm and resonant in the glass, the 2012 Comtes shows all the allure that makes this vintage so appealing. The combination of bright citrus, mineral and floral notes typical of Comtes, enhanced by the soft contours of the vintage, makes for an inviting, open-knit Champagne that is quite showy right out of the gate. Light tropical accents on the finish add an exotic flair. Usually I recommend cellaring just-released Comtes, but that won’t be necessary here. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

The 2012 is a gorgeous wine. Immensely "gluggable," it possesses purity, depth, freshness, and such showy aromatics that many will consume their quota early in the wine's lifecycle. The nose is a melange of lemon zest and chalky minerality, finessed with autolytic, flowery nuances. The palate is broad and succulent, with acidity providing some cut and linearity. Underlying richness strikes an intriguing counterpoint to the apparent tension. What is not to like here? It has aromatic density and is polished with that gorgeous floral bouquet that the 2012s often possess—a great long-term prospect. Drink from 2025-2045. Tasted: 15-Jun-23.--Stephen Pritchard for Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy

A gorgeous blond bombshell of a Champagne, fragrant with roasted hazelnut, vanilla and smoke notes that waft through layers of poached pear and quince, pastry cream, pain d'épices and candied ginger. This is sculpted by a vibrant acidity that's seamlessly knit to the plush, silky mousse and chalky underpinning. Drink now through 2033. 1,500 cases imported. - Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator

Mature and beautifully textured, this magnificent Champagne is just right. The wine's minerality is tempered with acidity and touches of white fruits. This great wine is toasty and balanced, ready to drink. - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

The 2012 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is showing beautifully out of the gates, offering up demonstrative aromas of sweet golden orchard fruit, buttery croissants, peach and hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and enveloping, it's a rich, textural, vinous Comtes somewhat reminiscent of the brilliant 2002. If it gains in tension and cut (as the 2002 did and as I suspect the 2012 will) with more time on cork, it will make this initial rating seem conservative. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

From the very first whiff, this expresses energy, depth and complexity. Aeration reinforces this impression, while also revealing scents of orchard fruit, like apricot, but also exotic fruit, as well as hazelnut and delicate autolytic notes - pastry in particular. On the palate, it is rich and full-bodied, with satisfying sapidity on the long finish. Five to eight years of further cellaring would be ideal, and even more for aficionados of Champagne with marked bottle maturity. - Yohan Castaing, Decanter

Smoky nose. Lemony and youthful but not too sweet. Admirable undertow and still with lots to give. Tight with a lacy texture and great persistence. A wine I'd love to follow over the years. - Jancis Robinson