Champagne Taittinger

Taittinger Brut Réserve is a blend of Chardonnay (40%), Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (60%) wines from over 35 different vineyards and vintages matured to perfection. This high proportion of Chardonnay, unique among fine non-vintage champagnes, and a minimum ageing of three years in the cellars, where it reaches the peak of aromatic maturity, makes Taittinger Brut Réserve a delicately balanced champagne, known for its consistently excellent quality all over the world. The brilliant body is golden yellow in colour. The bubbles are fine, while the foam is discreet yet lingering. The nose, very open and expressive, delivers aromas of fruit and brioche. It also gives off the fragrance of peach, white flowers (hawthorn, acacia) and vanilla pod. The entry onto the palate is lively, fresh and in total harmony. This is a delicate wine with flavours of fresh fruit and honey.

Taittinger Prestige Rosé immediately stands out for its intense, shimmering hue whose secret lies in the fact that it is a blend, which is more complex to produce. A quantity of still red wine (15%) produced from the best Pinot Noirs from Montagne de Reims and Les Riceys is in fact added to the final blend, to give this cuvee its unmistakable colour and vibrant intensity on the palate.The high proportion of Chardonnay (30%) that completes the blend brings the elegance and delicacy that underpin Taittinger’s signature style. The intense and brilliant body is bright pink in colour. The bubbles are fine, and the mousse persistent. The full nose, wonderfully expressive, is both fresh and young. It gives off aromas of red fruits (freshly crushed wild raspberry, cherry, blackcurrant). On the palate, this wine strikes a fine balance of a velvet texture and full body taste. The flavours are reminiscent of fresh, crisp red fruits. The palate can be summed up in four words: lively, fruity, fresh and elegant, as only a rosé blend can be.

Prelude Grands Crus Cuvee is composed of Chardonnay (50%) and Pinot Noir (50%) that Taittinger has selected exclusively from the top Grands Crus vineyards classified as “100%” in the Champagne system. Produced only using first press wines, this rare blend offers the finesse and structure that a great wine needs if it to be laid down for any length of time. On the palate, this wine strikes the perfect balance of the instantly minerally Chardonnay and the strongly expressive Pinot Noir. Aged for more than five years in the cellar, the Prelude cuvee is unique for its remarkable youth and great wealth of flavours. The brilliant body is pale yellow with silver highlights, a sign of the high proportion of Chardonnay. The bubbles are fine and form a persistent and delicately creamy ring of foam. The wine is subtle and fresh on the nose. The initial mineral aromas quickly give way to green and then floral notes with the fragrance of elder flowers and spicy cinnamon undertones. The entry onto the palate is clean and lively, dominated by very exceedingly fresh citrus notes. These segue into much fuller, rounder and silkier flavours where white peaches in syrup predominate. The finish is rich, lingering and bursting with flavour. Prelude Grands Crus is a joyous blend of finesse and complexity. Its balance of freshness and aromatic expression is outstanding.

La Maison Taittinger produces a vintage cuvee only when the grape-harvest is of an exceptional quality. In addition to this requirement, several years of cellar ageing guarantee the slow maturing of the aromas, as well as the development of the length and complexity of the wine. Taittinger Brut Millésimé 2012 consists exclusively of cuvees of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, in equal proportions. The Grands Crus of Champagne make up a significant proportion (over 70%) while the other villages selected are all certified Premiers Crus. Brut Millesime is a fine, delicate, airy, elegant champagne that presents a beautiful balance of aromatic intensity and freshness. The nose is defined by intense citrus fruit aromas of mandarin zest. Next there emerges floral and delicate aromas of lime flowers. In the mouth, the attack is full of freshness and strength, dominated by the citrus fruits. Follows a certain fullness, with flavours of pear and raisins, then a complex finish with a beautiful length embellished with notes of liquorice.

The House’s very first “Grower Champagne”, Les Folies de la Marquetterie is a blend of Chardonnay (45%) and Pinot Noir (55%), made exclusively from grapes grown at the Folies vineyard that overlooks Chateau de la Marquetterie, the birthplace of the Taittinger family champagne. After harvesting, only the juice from the first press is reserved. Each plot is vinified in small volumes and certain batches in oak casks. The bottles are aged for five years to bring this wine to complete harmony. The body is deep yellow in colour with golden highlights. The bubbles are fine and delicate. The intense, highly fruity bouquet leads onto peach and apricot jam aromas with subtle hints of toasted brioche and vanilla. On the palate, this wine is full-bodied, smooth and fruity with dominant peach flavours. The distinctive and expressive finish delivers lightly woody notes. Les Folies de la Marquetterie is a full-flavoured and harmonious champagne distinguished by its immense richness and complexity.

Taittinger Nocturne is a “Sec” champagne composed of Chardonnay (40%), Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (60%). Blended from around thirty different vineyards from various vintages, this wine is laid down for four years to age before being disgorged. A 17.5g/l dosage of sugar cane combined with the slow cellar-ageing create a round and smooth champagne that is perfect to enjoy late in the evening. The body is pale yellow in colour with shimmering highlights. The bubbles form a delicate ring of ne foam. The subtle and delicate bouquet reveals the delightful aromas of yellow peaches and dried apricots.The entry is smooth and creamy, yet very crisp.The palate gives way to avours of raisins and fruits in syrup.The long and smooth nish is distinctively sweet and full of avour. A mature, rich and round wine, Nocturne is also exceptionally smooth and creamy.

Taittinger Nocturne Rose is a “Sec” champagne composed of Chardonnay (30%), Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (70%) blended from around thirty different vineyards. A quantity of still red wine (15%) produced from the best Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims and Les Riceys is in added to the final blend. A 17.5g/l dosage of sugar cane combined with the slow cellar-ageing of four years create a round and smooth Rose Champagne that is perfect to enjoy late in the evening. The colour is a bright, intense, flamboyant pink. Bubbles form a delicate cordon of fine foam. A full-bodied nose reveals delicious aromas of patisserie. On the palate the attack is clean and generous, while remaining very fresh. There are noticeable but very silky tannins. Taittinger Nocturne Rose is a structured, voluptuous wine that presents an elegant, well-integrated balance of sugar, acid, and tannins.

Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is rare. The Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is composed exclusively of Chardonnay grown in the five villages of the Côte des Blancs, which are classified as Grands Crus: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil- sur-Oger, Oger. 5% of the wines which help to create the Comtes de Champagne are matured for 4 months in fresh oak barrels (one-third of which are renewed each year). The celebrated bottles only see daylight after a long and drawn-out maturing period 18 meters underground lasting 8 to 10 years. This great 2007 vintage lives up to all expectations as soon as you open the bottle. It is a moment to treasure. That typical Chardonnay colour is there in all its sparkling, golden glory with shimmers of green coating the constant stream of fine, delicate bubbles. It has a fine and delicate nose which combines white blossom and a certain minerality with general overtones of light pear and golden raisins. Subtle hints of aniseed and smoky flavours follow this suggestion of fruit. The taste is vibrant, with a combination of lemon and saltiness. This is immediately followed by a sensation of complex, yet mellow freshness creating the perfect balance between ripeness and a full-rounded flavour. It is rounded off by a long-lasting, crisp finish with hints of salted butter. This elegant wine lives up to its reputation with its freshness, strength, minerality and mellow fruitiness. Its freshness encapsulates a certain moment in time and promises a excellent cellaring potential.

Composed of 30% Chardonnay Grands Crus from the most prestigious Cote des Blancs terroirs combined with 70% Pinot Noir sourced from the Montagne de Reims Grands Crus, this Comtes de Champagne Rosee 2007 is the champagne par excellence of the gastronomic world. Its superb maturity tantalizes all the senses with a deep pink robe highlighted with glints of copper, an extremely delicate persistent effervescence, a nose of crushed strawberries, lime and liquorice underlined by a hint of roast coffee and cacao.The palate is entranced by a variation of gourmet sensations. The fresh, precise and taut attack gives way to reveal a supple, molten and heady structure.The nish imparts fruity notes underscored by a saline freshness. With the purity of its precise, gourmet aromatic structure, the Comtes de Champagne Rose 2007 is perfectly in line with its predecessors and promises to offer excellent ageing potential.