Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2011

A beautiful golden shimmer through colours of straw yellow and reflections of gold and a fine, delicate mousse that creamy and captivating. The nose is mature, voluptuous and yet fresh and bright. It exhales delicious notes of gingerbread, liquorice and meringue with delicate white fruit, mandarin peel and subtle touch of almond pastry. There is also great mineral power: dense and rich with the Chardonnay flexing its iodine character.

The Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is made exclusively with Chardonnay from the 5 Grands Crus villages on the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. The unique terroir is a strip of land measuring barely 20km. The thousand-year-old chalk is present on the surface, creating a real oasis of water and warmth.

2011 was a good year for the vines - especially Chardonnay hailing from the Côte des Blancs, which produces wines of exceptional quality. The 2011 vintage was very different, marked by early ripening and a spring drought. This forced the root network to delve deep in the earth in search of the water it needed for proper growth.

Being the most perfect expression of the House style, a Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is rare. Until its peak, it is subject to a great deal of care and attention and the rigorous criteria governing its production means that it cannot be created in large volumes. 5% of the wines which help to create the Comtes de Champagne are matured for 4 months in oak barrels (one-third of which are renewed each year) to boost the intrinsic qualities of the final blend and provide a hint of toasted flavour. The celebrated bottles only see daylight after a long and drawn-out maturing period 18 metres underground lasting 8 to 10 years.

The ultimate aperitif. A hedonistic match with fine caviar!