2008 Comtes de Champagne is back: Beating both Dom P and Krug Vintage

Are You Familiar With Comtes de Champagne?

When it comes to classic, great Champagnes, there is no way around Taittinger, which is also named one of "les grandes marques" along with houses such as Salon, Roederer, Krug, Bollinger, and Moët, among others. And once you mention Taittinger, you simply cannot ignore the house's prestige cuvée, Comtes de Champagne.

Comtes de Champagne stands out. Not just because of the distinctive chubby bottle. And not because Taittinger has a particular philosophy that dictates exceptional quality - because the other big houses certainly have that too. No, Taittinger does something different with the prestige cuvée. First of all, Comtes de Champagne is a blanc de blancs, which means that it is made from 100% Chardonnay, which is the exception rather than the rule among the great prestige cuvées. But what is even more interesting is that Taittinger manages to push the quality up so much that in the best vintages, they compete with the very best and most expensive. At the same time, production is quite limited from a Champagne perspective, and while the wine world is just really starting to open its eyes to this understated prestige cuvée, there is still plenty of upside to be gained.

Read on to see why, or learn more about Taittinger and the 2008 Comtes de Champagne in our first investment tip from February 2021: Finally Available: Invest In 2008 Comtes de Champagne From Taittinger

See all previous investment tips here.

But it is not only in recent years that Comtes has delivered great returns. Looking at a broader perspective, Liv-ex also reports that the price of Comtes de Champagne has increased by more than 80% on average over the last five years^*.

But despite the strong returns, there is still a strong upside. The 2008 vintage in particular holds strong potential. Read on to see why.

*Across the last 10 vintages that have been on the market for at least five years (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006)

2008 Comtes De Champagne Surpasses Some Of The Greatest On The Market

When we say that Comtes de Champagne is underrated, it is not just a postulate driven by subjective preferences for this particular prestige cuvée from Taittinger (although you cannot blame anyone for this).

Putting the 2008 Comtes de Champagne up against some of Champagne's finest cuvées, it is clear that Taittinger has made the most of their 2008 vintage. Across the critics Richard Juhlin, Wine Advocate and Vinous, the 2008 Comtes de Champagne has scored 97.7 points on average (AVG), which in this comparison is only marginally surpassed by the 2008 Cristal's 98 points on average. What makes this particularly interesting is the current price level. 2008 Cristal currently costs more than 50% more than Comtes, while Dom Pérignon and Krug, both with lower scores, cost €10 more (Dom Pérignon) and more than twice as much (Krug).

Looking at the price-quality ratio, there is only one winner here. And it is also the one that is probably the least produced - and that is the 2008 Comtes de Champagne.

Add to this the fact that the 2008 vintage is also the best Comtes de Champagne ever released...

Several Years Old And Decreasing Availability

Although the 2008 euphoria has yet to settle in the wine world, the 2008 Comtes de Champagne has already had more than two years on the market and has even already seen two successor vintages from 2011 and 2012.

This means, among other things, that it is doubtful whether there is any more 2008 Comtes de Champagne left at the producer, and if there is, the wine world will probably only see it as very sparse late releases. Taittinger has moved on, the 2011 vintage is probably soon sold out from the producer's own cellars, and the 2012 vintage is the current one.

In addition, according to Wine Advocate and Vinous, the 2008 vintage entered its optimal drinking window in 2021 - a drinking window of 15-25 years, depending on who you ask. So, the 2008 Comtes de Champagne has recently entered its prime, while the number of offers on wine-searcher.com has dropped by almost 30% since its peak less than two years ago, which says something about its decreasing availability.

RareWine Invest's Opinion

It is hard not to have a preference for Taittinger's Comtes de Champagne, and whether you adore blanc de blancs Champagnes or not, Comtes de Champagne just has something about it - that extra something.

But it is not only in the emotions and potential subjective preferences that make Comtes de Champagne special. If we look at the 2008 Comtes through investment glasses, it seems unnatural that, compared to some of Champagne's finest prestige cuvées, it can be acquired for the lowest price, but at the same time is only 0.3 points on average away from being on a par with the best in the above comparison.

Both the 2008 Comtes de Champagne and older vintages have guaranteed great returns, but despite the fact that the 2008 vintage, which is relevant in this case, has become significantly more expensive since its release, the price and quality levels indicate that there is more to come. The 2008 vintage has recently entered its optimal drinking window, and it seems that the mainstream Champagne world is only just beginning to realize that Comtes de Champagne is by no means in the shadow of the greats.