2003 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rose
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Tasting notes
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.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Disgorged end of 2009. Pale rose colour. Quite fine on the nose. A tad beery on the nose. And a bit hollow on the mid palate. Then some strawberry sweetness and drying end. (JR)
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
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
About the producer
Champagne Taittinger is one of the region’s leading Grande Marque Champagne houses and also one of the largest, when it comes to vineyard ownership. It is also the producer behind one of the region’s best loved vintage Blanc de Blancs: Comtes de Champagne.