This is a step up from the linear and fresh 2006. It shows subtle depth and power with a dense block of vivid fruit that's highlighted with lemon zest, green apples and hints of white peaches. Just the right amount of praline and nuts on the nose. Fine and tight bead give the Champagne a luxurious mouthfeel. One for now or the cellar. Drink or hold.

A plentiful, early harvest after a cool and rainy August did little for the reputation of the 2007 vintage. Still, I find that the quality of the Chardonnay this year is often underestimated. The Comtes de Champagne is, with Salon, the wine of the vintage, with an aroma of ripe Golden Delicious apples, lemon peel and linden flowers. There are very noticeable notes of saline minerality, smoke and toast. The wine is approachable and silky textured on the palate, with a lively mousse and rich, mouth-filling plumpness.

Taittinger's prestigious Comtes de Champagne is composed entirely of Chardonnay grapes from the Grand Cru villages of Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger (Côte des Blancs). The citrus-golden colored 2007 Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is the fourth in a row after the 2004 vintage (which will be followed by 2008 whereas there will be no Comtes from 2009, 2010 and 2011) and opens with a nobly intense yet nuanced bouquet of ripe fruits, chalk, iodine and a touch of brioche. The wine indicates a coolish and precise character on the clear, flinty nose that develops lemon, pastry and floral notes. On the palate, this is Taittinger at its best: clear, fresh, lush and elegant, offering both sensuality and noble elegance. The 2007 reveals great finesse and is a perfect expression of both the Taittinger style and the Côte de Blancs. The wine (of which 5% has spent four months in oak barrels to give roundness and a touch of toast) is tightly woven, well concentrated and even juicy yet always clear, fresh, pure, fine and elegant. The finish is intense, clean, vivacious and complex, with good grip and lingering salty minerals that indicate good aging potential. Disgorged in October 2017; tasted in May 2018.

Full bottle 1,685 g. Very tight and tense with strong lemon-cream notes. Still amazingly youthful. But with sore-throat-healing qualities. Firm acidity and some lime notes. (JR)