Champagne Taittinger N/V

 




Champagne Taittinger is one of the few Champagne Houses to remain owned(see buy out / buy back below) and actively managed by the family.

They are based in Reims in the Champagne district and their bottles are stored in  ancient  Roman chalk pits  that were created when stone was quarried out to build houses in the region .  They also own substantial  vineyards throughout the region.

  

   Today, Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger heads up this famous house whose origins date back to 1734.
I met him at a dinner while at the Champagne  Academy and heard him telling the men at his end of the table that he never eats cheese when he is going to be with a lady.I got a flash back to the lads in Ireland…can you imagine a Paddy thinking let alone actually  saying “I never drink pints of Guinness or eat Kebabs when I am going to be with a lady! I don`t think so..

Each champagne house has a typical style that is adhered to from vintage to vintage and for Taittinger the word that best describes their approach is elegance. Some others can be quite creamy or nutty or overwhelmingly intense, but at Taittinger it is about the fruit being  allowed to shine.

The blend is 40% Chardonnay 40 % Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meurnier and is aged for three to four years before release

Colour: brillient gold straw colour with fine persistent bubbles and a delicate mousse

Nose: bready/brioche and fruity…peach white flowers and vanilla pod

Palate: lively ,balanced  and elegant  with delicate flavours of  fresh fruits and honey with a lovely long concentrated finish.

PIERRE-EMMANUEL TAITTINGER: TALKS ABOUT CHAMPAGNE FOOD& LOVE 
For 3OO years, Champagne has been known as the wine to drink at grand occasions, such as year-end holidays and weddings and graduations. But more and more, Champagne is becoming known as a wine to enjoy at lunch and dinner. Why? Because Champagne matches well all types of gastronomy: French, Asian, Greek, fusion, Chinese, Japanese, Indian. It's very good with spices because it does refresh your palate. Magnum bottles are just the right size for two gentlemen.  Personally I recommend the half-bottle for a lunch for two, say, me and my wife, so you don't waste a full bottle. I adore that.
If you are with a nice partner, you are not tired after Champagne; you are active, in good form, perhaps slightly excited. The only problem is that you might want to make love, and that is not a serious problem. That is why there is a new attitude towards Champagne all over the planet.

PIERRE-EMMANUEL TAITTINGER: TALKS ABOUT THE BUY OUT.
My family is a large one, with seven branches. The family wanted to sell the entire Corporation for tax purposes and simply to get their money. (Seagrams did likewise some years ago.) We put it up for auction and an American group, Starwood, bought it all - Champagne Taittinger, Domaine Carneros, the Loire valley winery, Baccarat Crystal, Hotel du Crillon, Societe du Louvre - everything. That was the will of 9O% of my family. Me, I was in the 1O% who wanted to keep the business. But - I am a democrat - and I had to accept the majority decision. And we do all get along well. My son and I were a little sad, but we had no choice. But then, Starwood stated, "We are a real estate group, we are not specialized in wines." So they decided to sell off Taittinger and Carneros to specialists. Then our branch of the family - my father, brother and children - decided to become candidates to repurchase at least our winery. So they put it on sale, and here were at least ten candidates, from India, America, Britain. So we banded with Credit Agricole, a powerful bank in Champagne, and fought a hard fight for a year with bigger giants. We finally won, partly because we proposed a large check - after debt absorption, about 59OM Euro - but also because we were a family-run affair, like Starwood itself. In the package was the Loire winery and Carneros. We sold the Loire for technical reasons; we liked the very well run winery and the chairman, a very nice man. It was done in a genial manner. But we're keeping Carneros. And we're still on good terms with our family, who can always get the preferred discount on Champagne!

PIERRE-EMMANUEL TAITTINGER: TALKS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING.

 Global warming is the major issue for the planet. It's the Third World War, and we are in it right now. For the last ten years, the wine world has been positively affected by global warming - good harvest, regular harvest - but it's not going to continue. In the long term, it's going to change our way of life dramatically, and for the worst. I am very pessimistic about this. We're recycling, using vehicles less, driving cars with ethanol, and planning our business activities to conserve. We're avoiding unnecessary business travel, shipping wines by train instead of truck. We're extremely conscientious. At home, we don't take baths anymore, only brief showers; I think of water now as more precious that Champagne.

Taittenger Trivia

Taittinger was a favourite of the literary James Bond.Taittinger was actually Ian Fleming’s favourite Champagne,’ said Justin Llewellyn, brand ambassador for Taittinger and son of gadget master Desmond Llewellyn. We have a letter from  Fleming thanking M. Taittinger for a dozen bottles, and Taittinger was mentioned in Casino Royale, Moonraker, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Goldfinger.

The last time Taittinger made a screen appearance in the 007 series dates back to 1963’s From Russia with Love.

They approached Claude Taittinger for the next film, but he didn’t want
                                     to  be involved, and we never have been since,’ said Llewellyn.

Secret Agent Jones over and out.
THE VINTRY RATHGAR

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