Ultimate Guide to Comtes de Champagne Vintages / Price Values

One of the finest Champagne labels on the market with fans globally is the Comtes de Champagne from Champagne House Taittinger. Alongside classic label names such as Cristal from Roederer and Dom Pérignon from Moët & Chandon, Taittinger also offer their most prestigious cuvée in Comtes de Champagne which is equally acclaimed by wine critics and also a frequent and currently trending choice for wine investors.

“In 1952, the Taittinger Champagne House created the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs – its most exclusive and premium cuvée – in honour of the Comtes de Champagne and in particular Thibaud IV, whose seal proudly adorns every bottle of Taittinger. The strength and sophistication of the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs comes from the exceptional conditions found in the Côte des Blancs region.” Champagne Taittinger

Some will say that the Comtes de Champagne is the finest example of Chardonnay grape from the Côte des Blancs region, I’ve personally been around during Champagne tastings in London when a bottle of it comes out to taste and quickly attracts a flurry of interest and gesturing empty glasses held out in anticipation. Though this Grands Cru is well known within the wine fraternity, it may not have the acclaimed consumer fame as the likes of Ace of Spades or Dom Pérignon! Many will not know that Taittinger was the original Champagne of James Bond and the Comtes de Champagne appeared in ‘From Russia With Love’ starring Sean Connery – “Claude Taittinger started to give some bottles to Ian Fleming who enjoyed our Comtes de Champagne very much and included it in his books.” source A Complete Guide To James Bond’s Champagne Moments

 

Below we take a look at the vintage range of Comtes de Champagne with estimated prices* and any attributing facts. Though there are rosé labels produced in exceptional years, we will focus on the Blanc de Blancs – The official Taittinger website states 18 vintages, but there are plenty more. Please remember that the value of anything is really down to what people wish to pay – prices go up and down and certainly, some of the prices below, depending on how long in the future you find yourself reading this article, will likely rise as their rarity grows. Prices will also vary very much depending on the quality of the bottle such as what storage history it has, any loss of wine from oxidisation (ullage), damage to label / cork, etc. (also beware of fakes!).

Comtes de Champagne 1952 – The first ever release of Comtes de Champagne! Now, wine-searcher has it down at just $723 (£594). There is, I’m afraid, very little other information on the 1952 vintage. (I asked UK Director of Champagne Taittinger, Kevin McKee about the 1952 vintage: “None for sale for sure, we may have a couple picked up from the open market purely for interest (although I’m not 100% sure), looking at the market place for very old vintages & adding in its historic significance I would guess circa £2,500).” – Estimate price per bottle of £1,500 – £3,000

Comtes de Champagne 1953 – Starting off with wine-searcher and we see the 1953 quoted at a price of $778 (£639). Christie’s auctions shows a Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1953 Bin-soiled and badly damaged label realising a price of £613 in July 2020. Over on idealwine it’s proposed value is €101 (£90)?? – Estimate price per bottle of £1,500 – £2,500

Comtes de Champagne 1955 – $918 (£742) is the estimate with wine-searcher and Vins Grands Crus selling a bottle for €850 (£744) excluding taxes. Estimate price per bottle of £750 – £1,000

Comtes de Champagne 1959 – $1,935 is the price listed on wine-searcher, cruworldwine has a listing at £1,789, VinsGrandsCrus has a bottle for €1,000 (£889) and lastly Bonhams auctions had a lot with a 1959 & 1970 (Dom Pérignon) sold for £671 in April 2022 though the Comtes de Champagne has a somewhat low ullage. – Estimate price per bottle of £1,250 – £1,800

Comtes de Champagne 1961 – Considered one of the great vintages of the century in Champagne so this will add both to the collectability and of course desirability equalling an expensive price. Let’s get started with the 1961 vintage and we see wine-searcher estimate at $962 (£790), iDealWine at €330 (£293), out of stock via Hedonism as well as Fine+Rare, Christie’s wine auction in September 2007 sold a bottle for €552 (£491) and Bonham auctions (along with a 1971 Dom Pérignon) £538 following a sold lot in November 2017. – Estimate price per bottle of £750 – £1,250

Comtes de Champagne 1964 – The 1964 is estimated as being €685 (£562) on wine-searcher, iDealWine puts it at a price of €439 (£390), WineAuctioneer has a previous winning bid of £220, Belgium Wine Watchers has a sold bottle price at €569 (£506), iDealWine has one listed with a low ullage at €280 (£249), eBay in Italy has a live listing with a very low ullage at €199 (£177) and lastly Drinks&Co is listing a bottle for €786 (£698). – Estimate price per bottle of £600 – £900

Comtes de Champagne 1966 – Plenty of examples on the 1966 with wine-searcher estimating at $706 (£627) a bottle, a €452 (£402) estimate on iDealWine, up for sale at £910 with Hedonism, a winning bid on WineAuctioneer for a boxed bottle at £430 and also one with a low ullage selling for £130, and lastly Belgium Wine Watchers have one for sale at €569 (£467). – Estimate price per bottle of £700 – £850

Comtes de Champagne 1969 – In stock with iDealWine at €1,200 (£1,066) though also an €362 (£322) estimate via iDealWine (shows us faults with their estimates?), wine-searcher estimates at $1,293 (£1,062) and a £350 winning bid via WineAuctioneer. – Estimate price per bottle of £700 – £1,000

Comtes de Champagne 1970 – $761 (£625) estimated on wine-searcher, €249?? (£221) estimate on iDealWine, a £23!! winning bid on WineAuctioneer though low ullage and very dark coloured wine, Bonhams sold two bottles with low ullage in an auction lot for £376, a magnum is listed with Wein Auktionator with low ullage for €800 (£711) and a price of £525 with cruwineworld. – Estimate price per bottle of £600  – £900

Comtes de Champagne 1971 – Let’s kick off with wine-searcher‘s estimate at $833 (£684), just €185?? (£164) estimate at iDealWine, a bottle sold for £26!! on WineAuctioneer, Prestige Cellar has a bottle for €695 (£618) and Bonhams listed a bottle (unsold?) along with a Dom Pérignon 1971 for £500 – £600. – Estimate price per bottle of £500 – £650

Comtes de Champagne 1973 – Wine-searcher gets us underway with an estimate of $775 (£636), a €336 (£299) estimate on iDealWine, a sold price of £646 via Bonhams for three bottles, L’Assemblage has a listing for £395, PrestigeCellar listing one for €714 (£634), listed for €540 (£480) on SoDivin, Vins Grands Crus listing for €1,590 (£1,413) and €1,420 (£1,262)  for a magnum listing. – Estimate price per bottle of £450 – £650

Comtes de Champagne 1975 – We see wine-searcher estimate of $940?? (£772), iDealWine estimate at €347 (£308), in 2007 a sold lot with Christie’s was €414 (£368) and a live listing on eBay with a single bid for €249 (£221). – Estimate price per bottle of £400 – £600

Comtes de Champagne 1976 – Starting off with $1,053 (£865) estimate on wine-searcher, priced at £1,380 on Hedonism, €800 (£711) estimate on iDealWine, and also a sold lot of two bottle for €1,540 (£1,368), priced at €950 (£844) on Vins Grands Crus and priced at €540 (£480) on SoVini. Estimate price per bottle of £500 – £750

Comtes de Champagne 1979 – Wine-searcher estimate states $1,217 (£999) though iDealWine reckons it at €369 (£328), K&L Wines says $1 (£0.82) (oops), €750 (£666) exclusive of taxes with Vins Grands Crus and an estimate sale price of $615 (£505) on WineBid. Estimate price per bottle of £400 – £650

Comtes de Champagne 1981 – We now venture into the 1980’s and wine-searcher with an estimate of $539 (£443), for sale with Hedonism at £628 and a €230 (£204) estimate with iDealWine. – Estimate per bottle of £375 – £475

Comtes de Champagne 1982 – Beginning with wine-searcher estimate at $538 (£442), iDealWine estimates at €570 (£507) and at Barnebys auction we have a bottle with an estimate of $525 (£431). – Estimate price per bottle of £375 – £450

Comtes de Champagne 1983 – $548 (£450) at wine-searcher, a €258(£229)  estimate at iDealWine, a winning bid of £300 on WineAuctioneer and another at £260, a sold listing of €470 (£418) on Belgium Wine Watchers, and lastly €570 (£507) though out of stock on SoDivin. – Estimate price per bottle of £300 – £475

Comtes de Champagne 1985 – Starting with wine-searcher‘s estimate of $651 (£535), iDealWine estimates at €331 (£294) and €185 (£164) though now sold on Drinks&Co. – Estimate price per bottle of £275 – £450

Comtes de Champagne 1986 – Wine-searcher with an estimate of $534 (£438), a price of €380 (£338) estimate by iDealWine, an auction lot at Christie’s of 12 x bottles at £2,880 so £240 per bottle, SoDivin states €300 (£267) though sold out and €467 (£415) is the estimate on Drinks&Co. – Estimate price per bottle of £250 – £425

Comtes de Champagne 1988 -$688 (£565) estimate on wine-searcher, €356 (£316) estimate on iDealWine, for sale at £730 on Hedonism, a price realised at £440 on Christie’s (says 1 dozen bottles though think this is a typo error) and €655 (£582) on SoDivin. – Estimate price per bottle of £300 – £550

Comtes de Champagne 1989 – Let’s go with iDealWine estimate first showing €378 (£366), wine-searcher estimate at $626 (£514), Premiers Grands Crus is selling a bottle for £511, Bonhams has a bottle though is a rather mixed lot at estimate of £480 to £600 and €549 (£488) a bottle on traditional-wine. – Estimate price per bottle of £350 – £475

Comtes de Champagne 1990 – $514 (£422) price on Fab + Wine, wine-searcher estimate of $429 (£352), estimate of €397 (£353) on iDealWine and listed at €185?? (£164) on Drinks&Co. – Estimate price per bottle of £300 – £400

Comtes de Champagne 1993 – Wine-searcher estimate at $623 (£511), estimated at $150 (£123) on wine.com and a $380 (£312) sale price in May 2022 on winebid, – Estimate price per bottle of £250 – £325

Comtes de Champagne 1994 – $564 (£463) estimate on wine-searcher, a €140?? (£124) estimate on iDealWine, priced at £480 on Fine + Rare and a €498 (£443) price on SoDivin, and a €186?? (£165) price on Drinks&Co. – Estimate price per bottle of £250 – £375

Comtes de Champagne 1995 – As the years grow nearer then the availability grows so initially an estimate on wine-searcher of $440 (£361), £254 on Fine+Rare, $199?? (£163) on K&L Wines, DevineCellar selling at €390 (£347), price at £461 on Premiers Grands Crus, a magnum sold in July 2022 for $710 (£583) on winebid and €138?? (£123) a bottle on Comptoir des Millésimes. – Estimate price per bottle of £300 – £450

Comtes de Champagne 1997 – $378 (£336) estimate on wine-searcher, €123?? (£109) on iDealWine, listed at €178 (£158) though not available on Comptoir des Millésimes and $200 (£164) on Drinks&Co. – Estimate price per bottle of £200 – £250

Comtes de Champagne 1998 – $281 (£231) estimate on wine-searcher, £344 price on TheFinestBubble, only €99?? (£88) on winehog, a €248 (£220) estimate on iDealWine, Bonhams had a magnum sold in December 2022 at $438 (£360) and Bacchus Wine Auctions have a 1998 and 1999 lot estimated at £700 to £800. – Estimate price per bottle of £250 – £325

Comtes de Champagne 1999 – We start with an estimate from wine-searcher of $325 (£267), £325 a bottle via wine-republic, £274 on sale at Fine+Rare, £444 a bottle on TheFinestBubble, a €209 (£186) estimate on iDealWine and winehog again amazing us at $99?? (£81) a bottle. – Estimate price per bottle of £200 – £300

Comtes de Champagne 2000 – The new millennium kicks of with wine-searcher estimate of $282 (£232), wine-republic price of £295 and Champagne411 estimates at $170 (£140). – Estimate price per bottle of £200 – £275

Comtes de Champagne 2002 – Wine-searcher‘s estimate is $382 (£314), TheFinestBubble‘s price is £384 a bottle, a case of six is £2,000 via BerryBros & Rudd so £334 a bottle, £589?? selling on Fine+Rare, on GoedHuis the price for a case of six is £1,893 so £316 a bottle, Farr Vintners has 12 bottles listed at £3,300 so that’s £275 a bottle, a $260 (£213) estimate on K&L Wines, a case of six is £2,003 with Corney & Barrow so £334 a bottle and €215 (£191) a bottle though unavailable on Comptoir des Millésimes. – Estimate price per bottle of £300 – £375

Comtes de Champagne 2004 – A $248 (£204) estimate via wine-searcher, $159 (£131) estimate via K&L Wines, £965 for a case of six so £161 a bottle with Bordeaux Index, £654 a magnum bottle on TheFinestBubble, £950 a case of six at BerryBros & Rudd so £158 a bottle and a $269 (£221) estimate on wine.com. – Estimate price per bottle of £185 – £225

Comtes de Champagne 2005 – Wine-searcher estimates it at $192 (£158), Fine+Rare price for a case of six is £717 thus £120 a bottle, £1,104 for a case of six with BerryBros & Rudd so £184 a bottle, £165 a bottle with Wine Republic,  $179 (£147) estimate with K&L Wines, £440 a magnum with TheFinestBubble and £150 a bottle with Majestic. – Estimate price per bottle of £125 – £175

Comtes de Champagne 2006 – $216 (£177) estimate on wine-searcher, BerryBros & Rudd have a case of six priced at £725 so £121 a bottle, £235 a bottle with ChampagneDirect, Bonhams sold twelve bottles for £1,159 in May 2021 so that’s £97 a bottle, K&L Wines estimate at $220 (£181) and Hedonism have a magnum for £375. – Estimate price per bottle of £175 – £225

Comtes de Champagne 2007 – Estimate of $191 (£157) on wine-searcher, £167 a bottle with Majestic, BerryBros & Rudd with a case of six for £700 so that’s £117 a bottle, a €240 (£213) estimate on K&L Wines, Fine+Rare price per bottle of £127, TheFinestBubble prices bottles at £212 and Fine Wine Direct with a case of six for £1,140 so that’s £190 a bottle. – Estimate price per bottle of £150 – £200

Comtes de Champagne 2008 – The magical vintage year sees an estimate of $279 (£229) from wine-searcher, £370 a bottle from TheFinestBubble, £240 a bottle with Firth&Co, a $400 (£328) estimate via K&L Wines, BerryBros & Rudd selling cases of six for £1,120 so that’s £187 a bottle and Farr Vintners are selling two cases so twelve bottles at £2,260 thus £188 a bottle. – Estimate price per bottle of £175 – £225

Comtes de Champagne 2011 – $186 (£152) estimate on wine-searcher, £158 a bottle with TheFinestBubble, Champagne Direct priced at £160 a bottle, £123 a bottle with BerryBros & Rudd, magnums at £320 with The Champagne Company, K&L Wines estimate of $200 (£164), a bottle with Champagne King at £160 and €184 (£164) per bottle with xtrawine. – Estimate price per bottle of £150 – £175

Comtes de Champagne 2012 – As of January 2023, the 2012 vintage is the latest release so starting with wine-searcher the estimated price is $195 (£160), £822 for a case of six with Fine+Rare which is £137 a bottle, £1155 a case of six with Petersham Cellar so £193 a bottle, TheFinestBubble with £190, £180 with The Dorset Wine, ChampagneDirect selling at £190 a bottle and £998 for a case of six with BerryBros & Rudd so £166 a bottle. – Estimate price per bottle of £150 – £175

 

Lastly, let’s relay some words of Michael Edwards within his book ‘The Finest Wines of Champagne’: “The Comtes de Champagne, always the jewel in the crown (of Taittinger), shines more brightly than ever.”

*All prices are estimated by myself and I recommend that you do your own research before purchasing / selling Champagne for investment. All prices are accurate as of release of this article (January 20th 2023).