Champagne Taittinger - Brut Réserve

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Fruit, freshness, spirit: already a definition of champagne. Today, it's one of the finest non-vintage Bruts.

About the domain :

From the vineyard to the presentation of the cuvées, Taittinger has become a fine model for Champagne and wine in general. All the wines - not just the most prestigious - are brilliant representatives of a classic Champagne school, based on fresh, light-hearted aperitif elegance. Each cuvée also has its own personality, culminating in the prestige cuvée comtes-de-champagne blanc, based exclusively on Chardonnays from six Côte des Blancs grands crus, and an unforgettably fine rosé. Gone are the days when non-vintage brut was the house's weak point: light, floral and fruity, it's a delightful aperitif. The rest of the range is equally brilliant, witty and dynamic.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the domain :

Alexandre Fourneaux produced still wines in Rilly-la-Montagne. His son founded a trading house in 1734. Two centuries later, in 1936, Pierre Taittinger became the principal shareholder of the Forest-Fourneaux house, to which he gave his name. In 2005, the company was taken over by an American pension fund, and bought back by the family a year later, under the management of Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger. Before settling on the historic butte Saint-Nicaise, it had its headquarters at the Hôtel des Comtes de Champagne, hence the name of its prestige cuvée. The company has chalk quarries dating back to the 4th century and a vast vineyard (288 ha). Chardonnay is its emblematic grape variety.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

the latest edition of the non-vintage brut cuvée is in keeping with the house style, intensely marked by the chardonnay grape, which lends it a lovely elegance and creaminess.

About the domain :

The flamboyant P.E.T. (Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger), now surrounded by his children Vitalie and Clovis and a rejuvenated team, are putting this major house back on track, with its historic chalk pits and treasure trove of vines (including rare massal selections and 180 hectares worked without herbicides). "Taittinger's future lies not so much in increasing volumes as in being able to increase the share of luxury cuvées in our offer," explains Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, with particular emphasis on the Comtes de Champagne cuvée. Here, the dosage (9 grams/liter constant) is defended as a "flavor enhancer, indispensable in non-vintage bruts". In recent years, we've noticed an improvement in the density of the wines.