Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/05/22/champagne-taittinger-trio-that-are-great-value-les-folies-de-la-marquetterie-prelude-and-vintage-2015/
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Vintage 2015
Finally, the third of our trio, the Vintage 2015 (A$155). I believe that some places around the world have moved on to the 2016 and, while that has not graced downunder shores as yet, my thoughts would be to grab whatever 2015 you can.
We have been blessed with quite a few wonderful vintages for champagne this century – 2002, 2004, the scintillating 2008, 2009 (which has very much been a year that has been under the radar, but its glories are starting to emerge), another superstar in 2012 and very solid years in 2013, 2014 and 2015. On the horizon, 2018, 2019 and 2020 are all extremely promising, all potential superstars. Exciting times, indeed.
2016 does seem to be receiving generally positive reviews for the region – two MWs have considered it. Jancis Robinson sees it as above average with Pinot Noir outshining Chardonnay, while Charles Curtis, in his book, ‘Vintage Champagne: 1899 to 2019’, one to which we have often turned, describes it as a three-star vintage (out of a possible five), “a problematic season that ended reasonably well”.
They are considerably more enchanted with the year than I find myself. The 2016s I have encountered have largely been uninspiring. Dull, a little muddled, lacking focus. I suspect that in past decades, 2016 might have been largely skipped as a vintage year and the grapes held in reserve for non-vintage releases. For me, there are better years on which to spend money.
If one may briefly digress, in any other region, this would not be an issue. The wine world accepts that there are good and lesser vintages. The problem is that they are expected to produce a vintage wine every year, so this is acceptable. In Champagne, lesser years were used for non-vintage wines.
Only good years were released. Expectations were set in place. These days, the trend with many houses is to try and release a vintage every year if possible, so we are seeing lesser efforts declared.
I have no doubt that there will be some very good 2016s, but overall, should you focus on other years, you won’t miss much. It will be fascinating to see which houses choose to release a prestige champagne from the year. Word has it that Louis Roederer will release a Cristal and Taittinger will release their Comtes, so we’ll see to what level they can ascend.
Of course, all that is moot for today and we have the 2015. Curtis also gives it three stars and describes it as a “hot, dry year without the excess of 2003”. 2003, for those not keeping up to date, was a horrible year. Robinson is more positive about the vintage, noting the richness and ripeness the wines offer, and stressing that Pinot Noir was especially good.
The Taittinger 2015 is also an equal blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with 70% of the fruit from Grand Cru vineyards, the remainder from Premier Cru vineyards. The wine spends around five years on lees.
The 2015 is a deep gold/green hue. Richly flavoured, this is a champagne that is dense but dancing. Citrus, lemongrass, peaches, a flicker of red berries, stewed apricots, a touch of ginger and a whiff of vanilla. A lovely line of saline acidity runs the length of the wine. It is nicely balanced and has a good lingering finish.
Certainly a good five to six years ahead of it, but it is delicious drinking now, with the ripeness and opulence on offer. The ‘15s seem destined to be a vintage that is not particularly long-lived so enjoying them now seems the go. The champagne maintains the Taittinger DNA of elegance, which is neatly woven with the richness of the vintage. 94.
Price: around 55 euros
Conclusion
None of these three champagnes are considered as prestige releases – for Taittinger, that would be their brilliant Comtes de Champagne – and consequently they are priced well below, each coming in at around one-third of the price of Comtes. You can’t go wrong.
They are all beautiful champagnes and will reward drinking now or time in the cellar. Compelling evidence that, despite the price of champagnes being very much on the rise, you can still drink extremely well without needing to take out a second mortgage or selling a child. If you want to drink prestige cuvees these days, you might have to think about putting a child on the market.
For more information, please visit www.taittinger.com/en
You might also enjoy:
Champagne Taittinger Comtes Blanc de Blancs 2012: Not Just a Great Champagne, it’s a Great Wine!
Taittinger Comtes De Champagne Blanc Des Blancs 2008: James Bond Will Like It
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2007: 96/100 Now And Set To Improve Over The Next 20 Years
Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/05/22/champagne-taittinger-trio-that-are-great-value-les-folies-de-la-marquetterie-prelude-and-vintage-2015/