Critic ratings
vinous
2003
Rating:
92
–92
Initially quite reticent, the 2003 Comtes de Champagne Rosé need a lot of air to open up, which is frankly a bit of a surprise, given the extremely warm vintage. Dried rose petals, and sweet red berry fruit are the signatures. Overall, the 2003 Comtes Rosé is a bit light and lacks the structure of the best wines. It is best enjoyed over the next decade or so. Readers should plan on giving the 2003 a good bit of air. This is an unusual vintage for Taittinger, as there is no Comtes the Champagne Blanc, the result of a crippling April frost that took with it 90% of the Chardonnay production. Because of the scorching hot summer, all the fruit was harvested in August.
vinous
2003
Rating:
93
–93
The 2003 Rosé Comtes de Champagne flows from the glass with layers of sweet, perfumed fruit. With some time in the glass, the wine fills out with superb elegance and precision. This generous, weighty Champagne is probably best enjoyed with food. As delicious as this is today, I would be tempted to age a few bottles in the cellar. Only the price is an obstacle here. In 2003 the Comtes de Champagne Rosé is 70% Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims, which includes 12% still Pinot juice, and 30% Chardonnay from Côtes des Blancs, all from grand cru villages. This is Lot: L7377WA01600, disgorged November 19, 2007
robert_parker
2006
Rating:
93
–93
Taittinger's 2006 Comtes de Champagne Rosé blends Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with 16% red wine, mainly from Bouzy. Lovely, pure and fresh on the nose, with spicy sweet cherry aromas and red berry flavors, this is a rich and potent, full-bodied and firmly structured Rosé with nice purity and freshness. The finish reveals a sweet intensity and good length.
robert_parker
2005
Rating:
92
–92
The Taittinger 2005 Brut Rose Comtes de Champagne exhibits a delectable nose of fraise du bois, red raspberry and maraschino discreetly complemented by anise, vanilla, and Ceylon tea. Silken in feel and with exceptionally fine and at once stimulating and caressing mousse, this finishes with luscious abundance of juicy fresh red berries supported by appropriate sweetness, hints of fine, tea-like tannins, crunchy berry seeds, chalk and toasted almond serving for satisfying counterpoint. It should prove rewarding to follow for several years, but don’t miss out on its youthful pleasures!
Imported by Kobrand, Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7700
robert_parker
2005
Rating:
94
–94
The 2005 Brut Rose Comtes de Champagne is rich, round and seductive in this vintage. Warm and resonant, the 2005 blossoms in all directions with gorgeous aromatics and expressive, generous fruit. I generally prefer more vibrant vintages for the estate’s Rose, especially for aging, but immediate accessibility is one of the undisputed attributes of the 2005. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020.
This is a fabulous set of new releases from Taittinger. The 2002 Comtes de Champagne is easily one of the very best young Champagnes I have ever tasted. Over the next year or so, Taittinger plans to list more information about their NV wines on the back labels, something that is a huge positive for the consumer.
Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756
robert_parker
2003
Rating:
93
–93
The 2003 Rose Comtes de Champagne flows from the glass with layers of sweet, perfumed fruit. With some time in the glass, the wine fills out with superb elegance and precision. This generous, weighty Champagne is probably best enjoyed with food. As delicious as this is today, I would be tempted to age a few bottles in the cellar. Only the price is an obstacle. In 2003 the Comtes de Champagne Rose is 70% Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims, which includes 12% still Pinot juice, and 30% Chardonnay from Cotes des Blancs, all from grand cru villages. This is Lot: L7377WA01600, disgorged November 19, 2007 Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.
Taittinger is one of Champagne’s historic houses. The estate is best known for its Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne, a wine that has a strong track record of developing beautifully in bottle, often for several decades after release. While a few bottles in the range aren’t quite up to par, in aggregate this is an impressive showing for a house of this scale.
Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756
robert_parker
1999
Rating:
94
–94
The light salmon-colored 1999 Comtes de Champagne Rose sports a demure nose of yeast and mineral-dusted strawberries. Tasters lulled by the shy aromatics will be floored by this wine’s intense burst of fruit on the palate. Powerful, sappy, and concentrated, it explodes in the mouth with red fruits, toast, yeast, minerals, and notes of currants. This is a deep, complex, and immensely long rose.
Importer: Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY; tel. (212) 490-9300
robert_parker
1986
Rating:
92
–92
No Specific Tasting Note
robert_parker
1986
Rating:
92
–92
No Specific Tasting Note
robert_parker
1985
Rating:
94
–94
No tasting note.
vinous
2005
Rating:
93
–93
The 2005 Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a wine of contrasts. At first rich and vinous on the palate, the 2005 turns more delicate with time in the glass as its silkier and floral qualities become more evident. Sweet red berry and spice notes linger on the delicate finish.
vinous
2005
Rating:
94
–94
The 2005 Comtes de Champagne Rosè has gained quite a bit of depth and richness since I last tasted it about six months ago. Initially a bit restrained, and times even ethereal, the 2005 seems to be coming out of its shell. Today the flavors are expressive, while the wine's structure is much more evident than it has been in the past. Dark berries, rose petals and a hint of chocolate all leave a lasting impression.
vinous
2005
Rating:
93
–93
The 2005 Brut Rose Comtes de Champagne is rich, round and seductive in this vintage. Warm and resonant, the 2005 blossoms in all directions with gorgeous aromatics and fruit. I generally prefer more vibrant vintages for the estate's Rose, especially for aging, but immediate accessibility is one of the undisputed attributes of the 2005.
vinous
2005
Rating:
95
–95
We started with a pre-prandial 2005 Rosé Comtes de Champagne from Taittinger. This was ridiculously fine. Quite deep and almost Burgundian on the nose, it is vibrant and beautifully defined, with red cherries, bergamot and crushed stones in the background. Likewise, the palate has more weight and depth than other Rosés, with dark cherries and hints of white chocolate and nutmeg, lovely tension and grip on the finish. It represents everything I adore about Rosé Champagne, and it is drinking perfectly at present.
vinous
2006
Rating:
95
–95
Taittinger's 2006 Comtes de Champagne Rosé has come along nicely over the last six months. Intensely perfumed, Pinot-inflected aromatics carry through the mid-palate and finish as the 2006 shows off its depth and pure energy. Veins of chalky minerality give the red berry and cranberry flavors an extra kick of energy. The 2006 is both powerful and delicate at the same, with crystalline precision and fabulous depth. Hints of orange peel, mint, cinnamon and cranberry add further shades of nuance on the complete, beautifully articulated finish.
vinous
2006
Rating:
94
–94
A dazzling, totally seductive wine, the 2006 Comtes de Champagne Rosé brings together finesse and power. In this vintage, the weight of the Pinot is especially evident. Highly perfumed, expressive aromatics find a gorgeous counterpoint in the vivid, chiseled flavors, while the huge, resonant finish leaves a lasting impression. The 2006 Comtes Rosé is a fabulous Champagne to follow over the next two decades-plus.
vinous
2007
Rating:
94
–94
The 2007 Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a very pretty wine to drink now and over the next two decades. Soft and inviting, with good energy, the 2007 is impeccable in its balance. Crushed red berry fruit, blood orange, cinnamon, rose petal and mint all meld together in this gracious, mid-weight Rosé from Taittinger. At times, the 2007 is generous, while at other moments, it is more classically austere in bearing. It will be interesting to see where things ultimately settle.
vinous
2008
Rating:
93
–93
The 2008 Comtes de Champagne Rosé is bright, steely and finely chiseled right out of the gate. It shows quite a bit or energy and also more overall tension than the Blanc today. It will be interesting to see how the 2008 ages, and if the fruit ever emerges. I suspect the 2008 will always remain a rather nervous Rosé, even if it is quite striking today. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, chalk and white pepper build into a finish supported by bright, salivating acids and plenty of steely minerality.
vinous
2008
Rating:
93
–93
The 2008 Comtes de Champagne Rosé presents a classically austere façade. Crushed berry, mint, chalk and dried herbs emerge on the bouquet, and yet the wine remains very tight, even with aeration. The Comtes Rosé has a track record of aging brilliantly. Today, though, I am not sure the fruit will ever fully emerge.
vinous
2009
Rating:
97
–97
The 2009 Rosé Comtes de Champagne is one of the very finest recent editions I can recall. The intensity of both the Pinot and the vintage comes through loud and clear in a vinous, resonant Comtes Rosé that is engaging right out of the gate. Dark red berry fruit, spice, crushed flowers and blood orange are some of the many notes that meld together seamlessly. The 2009 is a truly special Champagne, but it is also very much on the exuberant side of things. All that said, I absolutely loved it.
robert_parker
2008
Rating:
96
–96
Taittinger's 2008 Brut Comtes de Champagne Rosé, which arrives on the market this year, has unwound considerably since I last tasted it. Offering up inviting aromas of red berries, plums, sweet spices, orange rind and freshly baked bread, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and vinous, with an ample core of fruit, lively acids and an elegant pinpoint mousse. As I wrote in 2019, Taittinger is using more Pinot Noir and opting for longer sur lattes maturation for this bottling, and the result is that Comtes Rosé is becoming a more gastronomic Champagne. Deceptively charming as this 2008 is today, I suspect it will tighten up with a little age on cork.
robert_parker
2009
Rating:
96
–96
The 2009 Brut Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a rich, gourmand rendition of this cuvée, bursting with aromas of sweet red plums, buttery pastry, tangerine and baking spices. Full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a broad attack and a layered, enveloping mid-palate that's girdled by ripe acids, it already offers demonstrative drinking. This has turned out brilliantly.
robert_parker
2011
Rating:
94
–94
Disgorged in October 2022, the 2011 Brut Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a blend of 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot Noir, including fully 14% of red wine that lends it notable depth of color this year. Evoking aromas of cherries, buttery pastry, raspberries and tangerine, with an attractive minty top note, the bouquet is complex and incipiently spicy. Medium to full-bodied, layered and vinous, with chalky structuring extract, it concludes with a long, sapid finish. The limitations of the vintage mean that this is a giving, rather open-knit Comtes Rosé, but it is nevertheless a great effort in a challenging year and exhibits none of the herbaceous qualities that mar some of the wines produced in this year. Drink it now and over the next decade.
robert_parker
2012
Rating:
97
–97
Evoking a superb bouquet, the remarkable 2012 Brut Comtes de Champagne Rosé reveals aromas of mint, strawberries, ripe red berries, tangerine, plums, orange rind and blood orange. Full-bodied, vinous and concentrated, it has a delicately, perfectly balanced phenolic mid-palate framed by a pinpoint mousse of striking finesse and delicacy, concluding with a vibrant, vertical finish enhanced by gastronomic bitterness. A blend of 70% Pinot Noir, including 14% as red wine, and 30% Chardonnay, disgorged with a dosage of nine grams per liter, this is one of the most elegant and refined Comtes de Champagne Rosé releases from Taittinger.
