The colour is medium straw, with very fine, long-lasting bubbles. On the nose very elegant, with notes of cream and almonds. In the mouth well balanced and very tasty: delicious! The aftertaste lasts for a pretty long time.
This prestigious champagne is made by Taittinger with 100% Chardonnay grapes. All grapes come from Grand Crus classified vineyards. It is a Brut with 9g of sugar per litre.
The Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is only vinified in very good years. It consists exclusively of wines pressed for the first time, the so-called “cuvée”, which come from the Côte des Blancs. 5% of the Chardonnay was aged in French oak for 4 months. This champagne spends at least 5 years on the lees.
Taittinger is one of the few major Chamapagne producers that are still in the hands of the family that carry its name. Most of them are part of big groups. As an example, LVMH Group owns: Dom Pérignon, Ruinart, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Cliquot, Krug, Mercier.
The history of Taittinger starts in 1915, when a young officer from Paris, Pierre Taittinger, was assigned to the chief of staff of General de Castelnau, who was based at the Château de la Marquetterie, near Épernay, in the heart of the vineyards in Champagne.
After WWI, Pierre Taittinger became a prominent politician. In 1924, he founded the Jeunesses patriotes (Patriotic Youths), a fascist group. In May 1943 he became president of the municipal council of Paris, as the Germans occupied the city, and held this position until the Liberation of Paris in August 1944. As the Allies rolled into the Paris Basin, Pierre Taittinger made an incredible change from collaborator to a member of the resistance.
Before the First World War, Pierre Taittinger had run a business involved in the distribution and export of champagne. In 1931 he acquired the venerable champagne firm of Forest-Fourneaux, founded in 1734 by Jacques Fourneaux, the third oldest champagne house in existence. The next year he bought the Château de la Marquetterie and its champagne estate.
For this bottle I paid 164.90 CHF online at flaschenpost.ch
Country: France
Region: Champagne
Grapes: Chardonnay
Type: Sparkling
Vintage: 2011
Producer: Taittinger
Price range: Luxury (>100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 5/5