Taittinger

Champagne Taittinger – Finesse, family and the power of Chardonnay

There are houses whose history you know, and those whose history you feel. Champagne Taittinger belongs to the latter category. Founded in 1734 by Jacques Fourneaux under the name Forest-Fourneaux, the house is among the three oldest champagne producers in history. It experienced a decisive turning point in 1932 when Pierre Taittinger – a passionate and visionary businessman – took over the estate and gave it his name. This step was not merely a name change: it was a declaration that endures to this day.

Pierre Taittinger's connection to Champagne began much earlier. As a young cavalry officer in the First World War, he made a promise to himself in the hills around Épernay in 1915 – one day he would return. He kept his promise. What followed was the creation of one of the world's most prestigious family-owned Champagne houses, served in over 140 countries and now managed by Vitalie and Clovis Taittinger, the founder's great-grandchildren. Vitalie assumed the presidency on January 1, 2020, while Clovis is responsible for sales and marketing as managing director.

Style and philosophy: Chardonnay as a compass

What sets Taittinger apart from other great houses can be summed up in one sentence: Chardonnay leads every blend . This decision is not a passing trend, but rather a core house philosophy. Chardonnay brings freshness, finesse, and precision – and it is precisely these qualities that make the Taittinger style recognizable across all cuvées. The proportion of Chardonnay ranges from 40% in the Brut Réserve to 100% in the prestige flagship Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs.

Added to this is patience: Taittinger ages its wines on the lees far beyond the legal minimum requirements – a conscious decision to forgo rapid availability in favor of complexity and depth. For over fifty years, the winery has also relied on large-scale mass selection, a technique for preserving the genetic diversity of the vines, which directly contributes to the aromatic complexity of the cuvées.

Since 2017, Taittinger has held the "Viticulture Durable en Champagne" and HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) certifications. Around 90% of the vineyards are planted with cover crops and cultivated without herbicides – a clear indication that quality and responsibility are not mutually exclusive for the house.

Vineyards, cellars and the terroir of Reims

Taittinger is located in the heart of Reims and owns 288 hectares of vineyards – including renowned Grand Cru sites in the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims. This makes the house the third-largest vineyard owner in all of Champagne and allows for quality control from vine to bottle. Unlike many large houses, Taittinger relies primarily on its own grapes – an advantage that is reflected in the consistency and recognizability of its style.

Beneath the house lie extensive chalk tunnels and cellars, listed by UNESCO and dating back to the 4th century. Once belonging to the Benedictine monks of St. Nicaise Abbey, their constant coolness and humidity provide ideal conditions for the slow, careful maturation process that makes Taittinger's wines what they are.

The most important cuvées

Taittinger's product range is clearly structured and extends from accessible entry-level champagnes to rare prestige champagnes:

• Brut Réserve: The house's best-selling cuvée – a non-vintage blend of 40% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, and 25% Pinot Meunier, assembled from over 35 different vineyards and vintages. It matures on the lees for at least three years before leaving the winery.
• Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs: The flagship. 100% Chardonnay from the Grands Crus of the Côte des Blancs, produced exclusively in exceptional harvests. Since the first cuvée in 1952, only 48 great vintages have been released. Aging in the old cellars of Saint-Nicaise lasts over ten years.
• Taittinger Collection: Since 1983, internationally renowned artists – including Victor Vasarely, Hans Hartung and Sebastião Salgado – have designed the bottles of this special edition, which uniquely combines wine and visual art.

Taittinger at Vinoscout

At Vinoscout you'll find 15 Taittinger products , from elegant entry-level wines to impressive formats. The Brut Prestige Rosé and the classic Brut Réserve are particularly popular – available as a bottle, a compact 0.375-liter Fillette, and for special occasions, an imposing 6-liter Methuselah . Prices range from €39.90 to €599.00 – depending on the cuvée and format, there's something for every occasion.