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Taittinger

Taittinger never strikes me as having any great history, which is wrong; the origin of this house can be traced to 1734, when Jacques Fourneaux established a family business which was, in time, to be Taittinger. This means Taitinnger is in fact the third oldest Champagne house. The family business thrived, and Fourneaux was succeeded by his son, Jérôme, who as well as looking after the family business was also advisor to the veuve Clicquot. The firm became Ets Taittinger Mailly & Cie when purchased by Pierre Taittinger, in 1932. Taittinger purchased not only this house, but with the great depression and consequent low prices for land, he also collected huge swathes of vineyard. The business moved from strength to strength, including a relocation from Mailly to Reims. The latest Taittingers to take control are Claude, who has headed the firm since 1960, more recently assisted by his nephew, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger.

Until recently the Taittinger family headed a group of businesses producing luxury goods which all operated under the Société du Louvre, a holding company in which 38 members of the family each own a stake. In 2005, however, the group was sold to Starwood Capital, an American investment group, which was probably attracted by the hotels it would acquire rather than this Champagne house. As a result, Taittinger was American-owned, but there were indications that the Champagne house would soon be back on the market again as Starwood broke up the group of businesses. Indeed this was the case, and in the end Taittinger was purchased by a partnership between Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, grandson of the original founder, and the French bank Crédit Agricole. This deal, with a value of 660 million Euros, trumped seven other offers on the table, and most notably brought the house back into French ownership, and under the influence of the Taittinger family themselves. It also brought forth accusations of French economic patriotism, in particular from the Indian press, who no doubt would much prefer Taittinger to have been sold to UB, an Indian drinks consortium who were among the unsuccessful bidders. Undaunted by such criticisms, and with an obvious determination to regain control of the family business, in early 2007 the Taittinger family purchased outright a 37% stake from Crédit Agricole, leaving the bank with just 20%. It was reported that the Taittinger were continuing to seek out further shares for their acquisition.

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne The house style at Taittinger is elegance with creamy richness. The range of wine here includes several non-vintage cuvées, the Brut Réserve, which is 38% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier, and a Brut Cuvée Prestige Rosé, which is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Pinot Meunier. I do wonder why, with a wine made entirely from black grapes, the saignée method is not employed rather than the current addition of red wine, for it would no doubt improve the reputation of the rosé. Taittinger Demi-Sec is the same blend as the Brut Réserve, but with a 35g/l dosage. Two new cuvees include Taittinger Prelude, a non-vintage blend of Grand Cru sites, using 50% Chardonnay from the Cotes des Blancs and 50% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims. Taittinger Nocturne is the other new non-vintage wine, a blend of 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot Noir/Meunier, with a 20g/l dosage. The Brut Millésime is a very good wine, 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot Noir, often overlooked by consumers who may opt for the likes of Ruinart, Pol Roger or Roederer in preference. Since 1978 this has also been released as Taittinger's Vintage Collection, in an attractive bottle (actually a plastic wrap around the bottle) designed by a famous artist. Although in early vintages this was a special cuvée, recent releases are exactly the same as the Brut Millésime, so it is not worth the premium for anyone other than collectors. Finally there is a prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs, which is 100% Chardonnay, of which 5% is aged in oak, one third new each year, and there is also a Comtes de Champagne Rosé, which recently has been 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, again made by addition of red wine.

The Comtes de Champagne once resided in Reims, in the 13th Century building which Taittinger purchased soon after the Great War. They were descended from the Comtes de Troyes, Burgundian noblemen. Tracing back their origins to the 9th Century, these counts were initially feudal. As the Champagne region flourished and trade increased, however, like all civilised races they released it would be much more lucrative to stop bickering and to support the local trade, thus hugely bolstering their local economy. This wise decision is accredited to Thibault IV, a descendant of Charlemagne, who was a staunch supporter of the many Champagne fairs attended by merchants from across Europe. No doubt this support for the region continued when Thibault's great-grandson took the crown as Louis X. Nevertheless, it was Thibault IV that Taittinger honoured when they released the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs with the 1952 vintage. This is a blend of largely Grand Cru wines; the fruit is generally sourced from Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger and Pierry, although the exact blend will differ from year to year. The Comtes de Champagne Rosé is sourced from Ambonnay and Bouzy, and was first released with the 1966 vintage. Both wines are frequently excellent.

The tasting notes below include numerous for the Brut Réserve. This predilection stems from an experiment, drinking the non-vintage cuvée at irregular intervals over a prolonged period of time to assess this cuvée's ageability, something I've also done in the past with Bollinger. Many NV cuvées are released before they are at their best due to financial pressures, and benefit from bottle age. I've written about ageing non-vintage Champagne before. (15/3/05, updated 11/1/07)

Contact details:
Address: 9 place Saint-Nicaise, 51100 Reims
Telephone: +33 (0) 3 26 85 45 35
Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 50 14 30
Internet: www.taittinger.com

Taittinger - Tasting Notes

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1998

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1998: Rather closed in, with a steely, ungiving nose. Little notes of minerals, largely masked by notes of residual sulphur. Nicely put together palate though, pervasive and fresh, with lemony-citrus fruit and a super, fresh mousse. There is vinosity here, clearly a wine of quality. It has really good potential, although I don't think it is quite as impressive as previous vintages though. From the 2007 Champagne Information Bureau Tasting. 17+/20 (March 2007)

1995

Taittinger Vintage Brut 1995: This wine has good nutty and marzipan notes alongside aromas of fruit and yeast. Very elegant mousse on the palate, with a creamy texture and good body. A lovely depth of flavour with a rich edge. Delicious stuff. 17.5+/20 (November 2001)

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1995: A suitable bottle for New Year's Eve. A very lively bead in the glass, still rather fat despite this wine's twelve years. The nose has a precise and bright citrussy, lemon freshness, but with a very serious deep seam of smoke and minerals, the combination of the two seeming paradoxical and yet divine in their combination. Later, there are notes of home-made praline, the delicious aroma of roasted almonds and crunchy sweetness that comes when you make your own. There is depth, vinosity and precision here. A lively mousse on the palate, covering a dense minerality, overall a very vinous style; this is a top quality wine which happens to have bubbles, if you understand my meaning. Very fresh, with lots of bright but appropriate acidity, and a mouthwatering midpalate. More integrated than my last tasting, but it is still very fresh and vibrant. Great for drinking now, certainly showing improvement, but still on the way up. A 2007 Christmas wine. 18.5+/20 (December 2007)

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1995: A fine, mid-golden hue, and although there are initially some fat bubbles on the inside of the glass, the bead is really quite fine. A lovely nose, quite subtle, opening out over a few hours to reveal little notes of brioche and praline. Quite fine on entry, rounded and just a little creamy, developing a more full presence through the midpalate. Behind it there lies a delightful acid structure, present through to the finish, which is perhaps a little firm and rather curt. But this wine simply needs time, and behind the praline-laced citrus fruit shows only the barest trace of the complexity that will come with ageing this for another five years and more. Excellent. From my 2006 Birthday Treats. 18.5+/20 (March 2006)

1988

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1988: An impressive, coffee and caramel nose. Very firm, very dominant acidity still. Quite evolved coffee flavour, with honey and butter edges. Great elegance and concentration, but also a great need for further bottle age I think - a vintage characteristic. Needs ten years yet. Should be fabulous when fully mature. From a Prestige Cuvée tasting. 18+/20 (September 2004)

Non-Vintage

Tasting notes are ordered by date of tasting, most recent first. I have tried to indicate whether it is a tasting of a new release, or of a wine I have cellared.

Taittinger Brut Réserve NV: Current release. Slightly honeyed, dried white fruits here. Rather soft but nicely composed, gentle mousse and an almost creamy richness. White fruit and minerals, also a little sulphur coming through from the nose onto the palate. I suspect this will be quite seductive with some time in bottle and fans should know that this cuvée is very typical for the Taittinger style. From the 2008 annual Champagne tasting. 16+/20 (March 2008)

Taittinger Brut Réserve NV: Current release. Rather organic, minerally nose. Some sulphur here. Nice style on the palate though, sweet citrus fruit with a bright, lifting acidity, a combination that seems very typical of non-vintage Taittinger. A delicate style, open and appealing, but nicely structured, and fresh. I really like this. From the 2007 Champagne Information Bureau Tasting. 16+/20 (March 2007)

Taittinger Nocturne Sec NV: Current release. Rather nettly on the nose, very mineral and spicy. On the palate, a lovely full, creamy, peppery style which is broad-shouldered, firm rather than flabby. Very nicely composed, dark and spicy. This is really interesting wine to my palate, a complex, deep, wintry style. Very good indeed. From the 2007 Champagne Information Bureau Tasting. 16+/20 (March 2007)

Taittinger Brut Réserve NV: Purchased Spring 2002; nearly three years additional bottle age. A pale hue, and a subtle bead that quickly fades, although there is no shortage of mousse on the palate. A fresh clean nose. Surprisingly fresh still, again showing lemony white fruits as when tasted last May. Just a little biscuity note of maturity. Seems like this could go on in the cellar for years. A Christmas Wine. 15.5+/20 (January 2005)

Taittinger Brut Réserve NV: Purchased Spring 2002; two years additional bottle age. A pale lemon yellow with fine and very persistent bead. The tropical fruit aromas of youth have gone, leaving a more restrained nose, with lemony fruit, and an almond-marzipan note of maturity. Very fresh on the palate, with lemony, creamy, almond and coconut macaroon notes. Crisp acidity and a good, persistent mousse. Wearing well - the joys of ageing NV Champagne. 15.5/20 (June 2004)

Taittinger Brut Réserve NV: Purchased Spring 2002; twelve months additional bottle age. A good density of colour here, with a fine bead. It's very easy to enjoy the nose, which offers plenty of juicy stone and citrus fruits, with an almost tropical ripeness, as well as notes of cashew nuts and brioche. A lovely weight on the palate, with more nutty elements glimpsing out from behind the fruit. A soft and creamy mousse, backed by good acidity, and a clean finish. Some nuances of maturity, but essentially still very fresh and primary. A completely different, much more accessible style to the Bollinger, but still classic and elegant. From a non-vintage Champagne tasting. 16.5+/20 (May 2003)

Taittinger Brut Réserve NV: Purchased Spring 2002; six months additional bottle age. A pale lemon-gold hue. Bright, lemony aromas on the nose, which has a touch of yeasty-biscuity character. An elegant bead. Good freshness on the palate, with lemon acidity, and an emerging hint of creaminess. Firm and well structured. This should mature nicely over the next few years. 16.5+/20 (September 2002)

Taittinger Brut Réserve NV: Purchased Spring 2002; just one month additional bottle age. A strong bead here. Aromas of white fruits and brioche on the nose. Lovely texture on the palate, creamy brioche and a hint of coffee towards the finish, suggesting a Chardonnay dominated blend. Correct acidity. A lovely NV cuvée. 16.5+/20 (May 2002)

Taittinger Brut Réserve NV: A tasting of the cuvée on the market at the time. A really fresh nose here, leading to a palate full of creamy, nutty and biscuity complexities. Fairly elegant mousse and correct, fresh acidity. This is a lovely NV wine. 16.5+/20 (November 2001)

Taittinger Brut Réserve NV: Purchased Summer 2000. A moderate colour intensity. Quite subtle biscuit notes on the nose, with some lemon-citrus fruit. The palate seems a little hollow at first, but rounds out (as the wine warms a little) to reach an acceptable body with a soft mousse. Nicely structured acidity, with a more iscuity flavours. Finishes nicely. 14/20 (October 2000)