NV Taittinger, Nocturne Sec

Antonio Galloni 88

The NV Sec Nocturne offers good depth and richness in a soft, accessible style with good overall complexity and a round, generous personality. Admittedly, I am not a fan of Sec Champagnes, but this is a fine effort in its category. Disgorged mid June, 2008 [Antonio Galloni, 12/01/2009]

Anticipated maturity: 2013-2013

Vinous 90

(60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay; 17.5 g/l dosage; L4110HB00700): Bright yellow. Deeply perfumed aromas of poached pear, melon, nectarine and lemon curd are complemented by suggestions of buttered toast, anise and chamomile. Plush and broad on the palate, offering ripe citrus and pit fruit flavors with a touch of chalky minerality adding cut and lift. A floral quality builds slowly with air and carries through the spicy, sappy, gently sweet finish. I like this Champagne’s balance of fruitiness and vivacity and there’s no way that I’d have guessed that its dosage was so high. [Josh Raynolds, 01/01/2014]

Wine Advocate 86

Taittinger ventures into the night club with the NV Nocturne Sec, an off-dry wine that exhibits notes of honeyed orchard and stone fruits, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy palate with an uncomplicated, fruit-forward profile and a youthfully frothy mousse. Obviously, this isn’t the wine to which this illustrious house owes its reputation. [William Kelley, 02/03/2019]

Anticipated maturity: 2018-2026