Comtes de Champagne Rose 2007

This bottle of Taittinger's just-released 2007 Brut Comtes de Champagne Rosé was disgorged in December 2018, and it's showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet of blood orange, minty raspberries, red plums, dried flowers and warm brioche. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, chalky and tensile, sharing a racy, chiseled profile with its Blanc de Blancs cousin. Deep, concentrated and tightly wound, the wine concludes with a long, sapid finish. This is an intense, racy Comtes Rosé with a long future ahead of it. As has been the norm chez Taittinger for several years now, the blend is based upon 70% Pinot Noir and includes 15% still red wine from Bouzy.

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.