Summary
Taittinger from Reims is one of the great and at the same time most independent Champagne houses. Its roots go back to 1734, when the wine house Forest-Fourneaux was founded; since 1932 it has carried the name of the Taittinger family. Unlike many big brands, Taittinger is still run by the family today and has around 288 hectares of its own vineyards. The house style is shaped by a high proportion of Chardonnay, which gives the Champagnes elegance, freshness and lightness. Its flagship is the prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne, one of the most renowned Blanc de Blancs in the world.
History
The origins of the house date back to 1734, when Jacques Fourneaux founded a wine trading house in Champagne that worked closely with the local Benedictine abbeys. This makes Taittinger one of the oldest Champagne houses of all. In 1932 Pierre Taittinger acquired the house of Forest-Fourneaux together with the Château de la Marquetterie and its vineyards – the beginning of the Taittinger brand.
Under his sons, above all François and later Claude Taittinger, the house was built up into an internationally respected Champagne brand. During this period Taittinger moved into the spectacular chalk cellars beneath the former Abbey of Saint-Nicaise in Reims.
In 2005 the family sold the house to the US investment group Starwood Capital – a move that caused a great stir in Champagne. As early as 2006, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, who had always opposed the sale, brought the house back into family hands together with the regional bank Crédit Agricole Nord Est. Since 2020 his daughter Vitalie Taittinger has led the house as president, with her brother Clovis part of the management.
Location & Terroir
The house is based in Reims, one of the two centres of Champagne. The cellars lie in Gallo-Roman chalk pits from the 4th century, above which the Abbey of Saint-Nicaise was built in the 13th century. The abbey itself was lost after the French Revolution, but the cool, evenly tempered chalk vaults survived – ideal conditions for the long ageing of the Champagnes.
The around 288 hectares of its own vineyards are spread across the three classic sub-regions: the Côte des Blancs, home of Chardonnay, the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne. The chalk and limestone soils store water, release heat evenly and give the base wines freshness and mineral tension.
Style & Philosophy
Taittinger stands for finesse rather than power. The high proportion of Chardonnay in the cuvées – even in the standard Brut clearly higher than at many other big houses – provides lightness, delicate citrus and floral aromas and a fine mousse. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier add structure and fruit.
As a family business, Taittinger thinks in long time frames. This shows not only in the long bottle ageing of the top cuvées, but also in its view beyond Champagne: in California the house is represented by Domaine Carneros, and in Kent, England, Taittinger has planted its own vineyards for sparkling wine under the name Domaine Evremond.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range runs from the approachable Brut to the great prestige cuvée:
- Brut Réserve – the house's non-vintage classic with a high proportion of Chardonnay
- Prestige Rosé – the fresh, fruit-driven rosé version
- Prélude Grands Crus – a cuvée made exclusively from Grand Cru sites
- Brut Millésimé – vintage Champagne from particularly good years
- Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs – the prestige cuvée made from 100 % Chardonnay from Grand Cru sites on the Côte des Blancs, first produced with the 1952 vintage
- Comtes de Champagne Rosé – the rosé counterpart with a Pinot Noir focus
Awards
Comtes de Champagne is regarded worldwide as one of the great Blanc de Blancs and is only made in outstanding vintages; older vintages are sought after by collectors. Taittinger also enjoys the reputation of being one of the few great Champagne houses that have remained in family hands despite their international importance. The chalk cellars of Saint-Nicaise are among the most visited cellars in Champagne, whose hillsides, houses and cellars have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015.