Taittinger 2008

Taittinger’s 2008 Brut Millesimé is a powerful, bold wine. The intensity of the year has been tempered by lovely mid-palate depth and what feels like dosage that is on the higher end of the spectrum, which means Taittinger’s 2008 is more accessible now than many other 2008. Dried pear, brioche, honey, mint, chamomile and wild flowers blossom into the creamy, inviting finish. There is a lot to like. Although not especially complex, the 2008 should drink well for the next decade or so. And the 2008 Comtes? Well, it is shaping up to be epic.

An elegant, pure and overtly yeasty nose speaks of citrus, apple, pear and white flower scents that are trimmed in a discreet note of brioche character. There is both fine volume as well as very good mid-palate concentration to the attractively textured and utterly delicious flavors that already possess fine complexity on the clean and markedly dry finish where a touch of austerity appears. While this already displays lovely depth, more is almost certainly on the way and for my taste I would be inclined to allow this to continue to develop for at least another 3 to 5 years. Lovely stuff that is fashioned in an understated style. Drink 2018+.