1996 Taittinger Champagne Comte de Champagne

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(Purchased Dec. 30/06 and may still be available at Costco)

I wish...............lucky you.

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Originally posted by Mishy:

quote:

(Purchased Dec. 30/06 and may still be available at Costco)

I wish...............lucky you.

We were on holiday in US over New Year's. The worst part was trying to decide which 4 bottles would be best to bring back. Ever after exchange, everything was 40+ % less, sometimes more that 60%.

C'est la vie, n'est-ce pas?

Sea and Mishy - are the Canadian monopoly prices that bad? I thought MA in the US was bad with wine laws....

Customs only allow you to bring 4 bottles across the border? That seems ridiculous, esp if travelling by car...

Assuming you go by car, you should put a case in your suitcase, stick it in the trunk...

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Originally posted by Seaquam:

quote:

Originally posted by Mishy:

quote:

(Purchased Dec. 30/06 and may still be available at Costco)

I wish...............lucky you.

We were on holiday in US over New Year's. The worst part was trying to decide which 4 bottles would be best to bring back. Ever after exchange, everything was 40+ % less, sometimes more that 60%.

C'est la vie, n'est-ce pas?

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Originally posted by spacewrangler:
Sea and Mishy - are the Canadian monopoly prices that bad? I thought MA in the US was bad with wine laws....

Bad? No, not bad. Unbelievably horrible!!

I could go on all day about this, but let me just give you a couple of examples: 2003 Shafer Napa Cab (the regular one) C$89, '03 Firebreak $72, '98 Dom Perignon Champagne $200 at our local government monopoly. The price differential is actually LESS on more expensive items than on cheaper ones due to the rigid application of a formula that's used on all wines, regardless of price or popularity. A couple of years ago I bought Penfold's Bin 389 here for C$35, and picked up a couple at a shop in Seattle for US$13. The few private wine shops that we have are not allowed to undersell the gov't stores, and in fact usually charge an extra premium.

Very occasionally we get a decent deal because US importers have added a higher markup to a popular or highly-rated item, which then gets passed along at retail. Our monopoly keeps the price consistent based solely on its purchase cost.

It depresses me every time I think about this. I have to go have a drink now.

160.00$cdn for the 1996 here in Montreal at SAQ, this is not too bad.

I noted this Champ 96-97 points
Pale yellow color, the wine exhibit a fine and seductive bouquet of brioche, vanilla, green apple and white flower. Very complex, rich and expansive, this Taittinger is imposing and appears to be better than the superb 1995. The final is very long with mineral and green apple aromatical notes that last near a minute. And add this little acidulous touch very pleasant and refreshing. This Champagne is suberb!

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Originally posted by jfl91:
160.00$cdn for the 1996 here in Montreal at SAQ, this is not too bad.

I noted this Champ 96-97 points

No, not TOO bad; we've often experienced worse.

But that $40 differential is really the price of another nice bottle of wine, n'est-ce pas?

I would not drink more if I lived in the USA, but I'm convinced I would drink better.

The 1996 is still tasting very young. The 95 is the better Champagne today but the 96 has all the right stuff to be tremendous for a number of years ahead. The 95 may be the best I've tasted from that vintage.

Yes the 1995 is more foward than the 1996 but at the end, the 96 is a better Champagne.
The 1995 is drinking really well at the moment while the 1996 taste really young but still real good.

Straw gold with a frightening blue-green hue. (That will teach me to leave my bag of stems at home.) Toasty nose. Lovely brioche, as well as subtle green apple, and a touch of flint/minerality. Without a doubt, the best balance between yeast and citrus of any Champagne I've enjoyed in the last year. (Imagine a bottle of old label NV Krug mating with a 1996 Grande Dame.) Fairly creamy mouthfeel to this medium to full-bodied Champange. 45 second finish. 95 pts. (1/3/2008)

Before last night, I'd had only the Rosé from this producer. Brought the '97 Comtes de Champagne Rosé to a March '07 get together at Nick & Sam's. Nice, but certainly not memorable. I did very much enjoy the '02 Comtes de Champagne Rosé that wiml & PURPLE shared with us this past December.

That said, this '96 Blanc de Blanc blew my little socks off. Thanks, wine+art! Gotta get me some!!!

i agree, in my personal top 3 bottles of Champagne ever along with a specific bottle of old label NV Krug and 90' La Grande Dame

Posting Tasting Notes and providing pics-most impressive skoshy.

I still think the 96 Comtes is drinking really young and still not as good as it will be in another 5 years. Not nearly as advanced as the 96 Grande Dame which is ageing fairly quickly for a 96.

I killed the last of my four bottles of this at the Gf/Festiva/cometspider Birthday Bash this year. I couldn't keep my mitts off of them. And I got them for $110 a crack....... Should have bought all they had.

PH

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Originally posted by PurpleHaze:
I killed the last of my four bottles of this at the Gf/Festiva/cometspider Birthday Bash this year. I couldn't keep my mitts off of them. And I got them for $110 a crack....... Should have bought all they had.

PH

Selling for $157.00 in our market.

Hey at least TX allows you to ship legally from other states!

MA is progressive on everything but wine