Wine Reviews

This toasty Champagne features flavors of lemon curd, brioche, glazed apricot and vanilla-infused pastry cream riding a fine, lively mousse. Well-meshed and creamy, animated by vibrant acidity through the spiced finish

Taittinger’s 2015 Brut Millésimé is a blend of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir from various villages, 70% of which are grands crus. It has an elegant, floral bouquet with aromas of honeysuckle, lime tree, citrus oil, orchard fruit and almonds. It’s moderately weighted and perfectly balanced with a delicate mousse and a refined, elegant and mineral finish. This well-crafted, superb cuvée requires patience to fully realize its potential.

The same vintage I tasted last year, the 2015 Champagne Millésime Brut pours a bright straw hue and has developed more attractive aromatics since last year. Raised entirely in stainless steel tank for this vintage, with 9 grams per liter dosage, it’s equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with 70% of the best grapes from the Grand Cru villages and 30% of the best wines from the Premier Cru Villages. Lush with aromatics of wet stone, orange marmalade, and ripe apricot, it takes on a darker mineral undertone. Fleshy and full-bodied, it has a bit of bitter citrus on the finish, adding structure over acidity, with an expansive texture and rounded mousse. It’s in a very nice place at the moment and will have a fair bit of life ahead over the coming 10-15 years. Disgorged December 2022.

The 2015 Champagne Millésime Brut is equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The nose is fragrant with ripe peach and rose petal, and it has a rich texture, with a more viscous feel, and note of yellow flowers and Anjou pear. It speaks to the ripeness of the vintage, but it is long on the palate and has a light phenolic finish. I think this is ready to drink now.

Brut Millésme 2015 is a 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir blend of which 70% is Grand Cru and 30% Premier Cru. Aged seven years on fine lees before the first release in 2022, it was finished with a nine grams per liter dosage. Alluring and complex on the nose with notes of apple tart, butter pastry, and hazelnuts the medium to full-bodied palate has a ripe and round orchard fruit core supported by buoyant acid freshness and toasty notes emerging at the finish. Very balanced and elegant throughout. The bottle tasted was in early 2023.