As the holidays are now amongst us, what a better time to introduce one of the historic houses in Champagne? The story of Champagne Taittinger dates back to 1734 when a wealthy textile merchant named Jacques Fourneaux founded a Champagne house named Forest-Fourneaux. At the time he was working with Benedictine monks in learning howe to make sparkling wines. This house remained intact until the 1930s when Pierre Taittinger bought the house and named it after himself, also purchasing the estate vineyards.
Taittinger became a very popular brand in the 1950s and today it is one of the largest houses in Champagne, producing roughly 5-6 million bottles annually. Most people are familiar with their great ‘Brut La Francaise’ (OB, 91) which embodies most of their production and is a killer value with really good range. Taittinger has also been a hit in James Bond movies, as Bond enjoyed Taittinger in “Casino Royale.” Taittinger also founded Domaine Carneros in 1987 which has become one of the finest sparkling wine houses not only in California but North America. I adored the new 2014 Taittinger ‘Brut’ Champagne (OB, 93) which has amazing depth, concentration and finesse with a silky mousse. They also make a killer NV Rose Champagne (OB, 92) showing off very pretty red fruits and citrus notes. Learn more about this famed house at
NV Taittinger ‘Brut La Francaise’ Champagne- The NV ‘Brut La Francaise’ is a blend of Chardonnay (40%), Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (60%), sourcing from over 35 different vineyards and vintages. Right away this shows shades of salted Marona almond with toasty brioche and lemon zest that all mingle in the glass. The palate shows a silky mousse with layers of biscuit, salted hazelnuts, kumquat and sourdough bread. Delightful in its youth, this beautiful NV ‘Brut’ Champagne will be best enjoyed over the next seven years. Drink 2020-2027- 91
NV Taittinger ‘Brut Rose’ Champagne-The NV Taittinger Rose shows delicate red florals with guava and red raspberry aromatics all melding well. Once on the attack you are greeted to pretty watermelon and Yakima cherry flavors with Mandarin orange zest tones with red Rose water accents with good finesse. The silky mousse impresses. Lithe and showing great poise, this beautiful new Rose will show well over the next eight plus years. Drink 2020-2028- 92
2014 Taittinger ‘Brut’ Champagne- The 2014 Taittinger Brut Champagne is a stunning new edition to this lineup. The aromatic range is really good from honeycomb to cantaloupe tones alongside shades of white truffle and lemon oil that all take shape in the glass. Rich and refined, the soft mousse really entices. Layers of white peach and pink grapefruit oil are woven together with salted Marcona almond and shades of salted sourdough bread with diatomaceous earth that all impress on the palate. Utterly fantastic to enjoy in its youth, this dense but well-balanced effort will cellar well over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2020-2033- 93
NV Taittinger ‘Prelude’ Champagne- The NV ‘Prelude’ Champagne is a NV wine which was aged for more than five years on the lees and is a blend of equal parts of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir entirely sourced from Grand Cru vineyards. Given 6 G/L dosage, this shows buttered brioche with Macadamia nut and ripe pear aromatics that all mingle in the glass. The soft mouthfeel is really enticing as layers of nutmeg infused Challah bread and kumquat zest combine with salted almond, ginger and tones of wild mushroom that all take shape in the glass. Quite big on the mouth and showing great length, this outstanding new Champagne will cellar well for more than a decade. Drink 2020-2032- 93