Locally grown and family-owned is a Taittinger tradition. They say it runs in the family, and at Taittinger, it literally does. For generations and counting Taittinger has remained a family owned champagne house. It is comprised of 288 hectares of prime vineyards in Reims that are spread over 37 crus across many distinguished appellations.
Roughly half of the grapes that are used to make both Taittinger’s non vintage Brut and Brut Reserves come from the champagne house’s own vineyards. Trusted independent wine producers and co operatives supply the rest.
Champagne is created from three principal varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Taittinger plants a good percentage of Chardonnay; higher concentrations of Chardonnay help to give some varieties of Taittinger champagnes a particularly fresh and crisp character. Naturally, methods of production also greatly influence the expression and quality of a champagne.
Taittinger practices integrated pest management and a tradition of selection massale. This method maintains the integrity of the gene pool within the region and adds depth and complexity to the grapes. The vineyard also practices some organic production techniques.
It is said that the quality of a champagne house is determined by the caliber of its non vintage champagne. This makes sense considering that the best of the harvest in any year is used to make the reserves. Wines from the first press which have the greatest concentration of flavors are used to make the Brut Reserve every year.
The Brut Reserve consists of 40 percent Chardonnay, 35 percent Pinot Noir and 25 percent Pinot Meunier. These are derived from 35 crus coming from different harvests. It undergoes 3-4 years of aging. The resulting vintage is lively, fresh and bursting with peaches, chamomile and toasted vanilla notes. There is a balanced acidity followed by a citrusy finish.
The Rose Brut Prestige has a lively, almost flamboyant pink tint, fine bubbles and a full and persistent mousse as well as a generous and expressive nose and creaminess. It is balanced on the palate and full of fresh red fruit aromas.
The Brut Millesime is comprised of 50 percent Grand Cru Chardonnay from the Cotes de Blancs and 50 percent Grand Cru Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Marne Valley. This vintage is also first press only and matured for a long time.
The aptly named Comtes is the most prestigious selection in the Taittinger line. It is aged in the underground chalk mines turned wine cellars of the 13th. century Saint Nicaise Abbey. Full of complex citrus and brioche notes, expressive minerality and a fine and persistent mousse, this vintage is worthy of its lofty place on Taittinger’s top tier of champagne offerings.
The 2006 vintage was released in September 2015 and the result is another vintage for savoring and saving. Floral, refined and delicate with complex citrus fruit and toasted notes these two vintages represent two different expressions of the same quality grapes and methods of production.
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