Investment tip from our premium partner RareWineInvest – Investment tip; Investment tip 2013 ‘Comtes de Champagne’. [Read the full story by RareWineInvest]
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The 2013 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne was released during the last half of 2023, and when we first offered it for investment in February this year, we sold out. Since then, we have gathered the stock to offer this interesting investment case to you again.
It’s one thing that the arguments for investment are lining up – but it’s another thing that we really think it tastes great too. And so do the critics. So here’s your chance to start your portfolio with a prestige cuvée that is both appreciated by us and appreciated by the critics – and at an incredibly low price.
The investment arguments are the same as last time. And they come here:
Taittinger presented a beautiful 2013 vintage that, as the latest jewel in the house’s history, once again represents the quality that has become a landmark.
It’s not just the fact that the 2013 Comtes de Champagne is rated higher than the 2013 Dom Pérignon* that makes it exciting for investors and Champagne lovers alike. No, it’s the pricing that does not reflect the characteristics of Comtes de Champagne – in general for Comtes, but in particular with the 2013 vintage.
It’s as if the world has not understood what Comtes de Champagne actually is – and another thing is that it’s priced too low. Find out why below.
Taittinger and Comtes de Champagne – an overview
- Taittinger is one of the old, proud Champagne houses with a history dating back to 1734. The Taittinger family bought the property in 1932, which, as a consequence of the Great Depression, had the opportunity to purchase large areas of outstanding vineyards in and around Reims.
- To the horror of the champagne world, Taittinger was sold to the American hotel chain Starwood Hotel Group in 2005, which patriotic forces in Champagne felt could compromise the integrity of Taittinger and Champagne. Just a year later, the Taittinger family regained control of the property and Taittinger is now one of the few major Champagne houses that is independent and family-owned.
- The 1952 vintage was the year of the first Comtes de Champagne, created by Taittinger founder Pierre Taittinger as a tribute to Thibaud IV, Count of Champagne, who was the first to plant Chardonnay in the region. Only 35 vintages have been labeled Comtes de Champagne, and this cuvée has been the flagship of the house ever since.
2013 Comtes de Champagne as an investment
- With Comtes de Champagne, investors get a prestige cuvée from one of Champagne’s great, family-owned houses.
- The 2013 vintage has become a super vintage for Comtes de Champagne, with 98 points from Vinous. In fact, only two vintages from this millennium have received a higher average score than the 2013 vintage – 2008 and 2002 (see overview of points at the bottom of the email).
- Despite the fact that Comtes de Champagne is one of the Champagnes where the price has taken some huge hits in the difficult market of the past year, they have still performed solidly over time. According to Liv-ex, the last 10 vintages of Comtes have averaged a return of 74.9.% over the last five years (11.98% average annual return).
- According to wine-searcher.com, the average asking price of the 2004 vintage, which has the same average score as the 2013 vintage, has increased by 89% since its release almost 10 years ago.
- The quality is high, but the supply is low. Taittinger is estimated to produce around five million bottles of Champagne per year. Of this, it is estimated that only 150,000-300,000 of these become Comtes de Champagne. In comparison, millions of bottles of Dom Pérignon and around 400,000 bottles of Cristal are produced each year.
But besides a sublime product at a sharp price, the value-for-money aspect can also be illustrated as follows. Below is a simple comparison of how much you have to pay for quality across all the 2013 Champagnes that we reviewed. And while many factors come into play here, it is clear that the 2013 Comtes de Champagne delivers an extremely attractive price/quality ratio.
| 2013 | RJ | WA | VI | Avg | Price | Price/ |
| points | ||||||
| Dom Pérignon | 95 | 95 | 94 | 94,7 | € 165 | € 1,70 |
| Salon | 97 | 97 | 99 | 97,7 | € 1.000 | € 10,20 |
| William Deutz | 96 | – | – | 96 | € 105 | € 1,10 |
| Winston Churchill | 94 | 96 | 97 | 95,7 | € 175 | € 1,80 |
| Henri Giraud Argonne | – | 97+ | 96 | 96,5 | € 320 | € 3,30 |
| Cristal | 96 | 96 | 98 | 96,7 | € 225 | € 2,30 |
| Cristal Rosé | – | 99 | 98 | 98,5 | € 425 | € 4,30 |
| Comtes de Champagne | 94 | 96 | 98 | 96 | € 125 | € 1,30 |
| RJ: Richard Juhlin WA: Wine Advocate VI: Vinous AVG: Average |
We only see a scenario where Comtes de Champagne becomes one of the great Champagnes of the future, and if you can deliver it in a mature version, you have a very attractive product that is currently trading at unsustainably low price levels.
