Champagne Taittinger winemaker Alexandre Ponnavoy and artistic director Vitalie Taittinger.
If I ever felt any uncertainty that Champagne plays a starring role in in many of life’s special moments, those doubts were elegantly dissolved in a glass of Taittinger. At a recent media lunch, I watched fairly reserved wine writers get absolutely giddy as they shared Taittinger tinged memories. One couple, married for decades, passed around a precious photo from their wedding day, where a case of Taittinger was in prominent view like a VIP guest. Another writer, recently engaged, beamed as she told us that she and her fiancé had toasted their special moment with Taittinger. Old love or new love, it seems that where there’s love, there’s Taittinger.
After all, it takes a lot of love to make Champagne – the process is labor intensive and requires extreme patience. This love has inspired the Taittinger family for generations. One of the few remaining family-owned and operated Champagne houses, Taittinger doesn’t simply make bubbly; they are committed to preserving a tradition and cultural treasure.
As the bubbly and memories flowed at our media luncheon, Vitalie Taittinger (artistic director) and Alexandre Ponnavoy (winemaker) generously shared the Taittinger story. Vitalie describes her father, Pierre-Emmanuel-Taittinger, the grandson of the founder, as the “memory of the House.” Memory is an integral part of the Champagne process because each year the winemaker is challenged with creating a wine that evokes the core attributes of the house style.
We tend to use Champagne as a generic term but each house has a different style and Taittinger is unique in several ways. Unlike most large Champagne houses, Taittinger relies primarily on estate grown grapes to produce their wines, instead of depending heavily on outside growers. Taittinger also uses a higher percentage of Chardonnay grapes in their blends. Winemaker Alexandre Ponnavoy said that Chardonnay brings “energy and elegance” to the blend but that it is also important to “respect the scale” between Chardonnay and the other grapes – Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
I’ve been a Taittinger fan for years so it was fascinating to taste these exceptional Champagnes with Alexandre and Vitalie. Now, I have a new experience to add to the trove of beautiful memories inspired by their bubbly. To make your own special moments even more memorable, pop the cork on one of these fantastic bottles of Champagne Taittinger.
Champagne Taittinger Brut la Française NV ($64.99)
Nonvintage is always the best way to understand the style of a Champagne house. As winemaker Alexandre Ponnavoy said, this is Taittinger’s “ambassador cuvée and how you introduce the spirit of Taittinger.” What a lovely introduction. A blend of Chardonnay (40%), Pinot Noir (35%) and Pinot Meunier (25%), it contains a higher proportion of Chardonnay than other nonvintage Champagnes, which imbues it with impressive elegance and freshness. It was also aged 3-4 years on the lees, which is more than twice as long as required. This extended aging adds beautiful brioche and toasty notes that meld beautifully with the vibrant and crisp fruit flavors.
Champagne Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV ($84.99)
This quite luxurious rosé Champagne is a blend of Pinot Noir (50%), Chardonnay (30%), and Pinot Meunier (20%). Aged three years on the lees, it is full and crisp with lively flavors of red fruits, blood orange, and a hint of zest.
Champagne Taittinger Brut Millésimé 2013 ($102)
A blend of equal proportions of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Taittinger only produces Brut Millésimé in exceptional vintage years. Speaking of the 2013, Alexandre said, “There is wonderful energy in this vintage” and “lots of yellow fruit” in its aroma and taste; such as citrus, yellow grapefruit and pear. Aged for five years on the lees, it is rich yet graceful with fine bubbles and a seductively long finish.
Champagne Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2007 ($215.99)
100% Chardonnay, this precise bubbly is powerful yet graceful. Only produced in exceptional vintage years, the Chardonnay grapes were sourced from the top vineyards of Côte des Blancs. Aged for ten years on the lees, this is a next-level Champagne that balances brightness and vivacity with tantalizing hints of exotic smoke, anise, and a kiss of salinity. A beautiful symphony of flavor!
