Open Tue 18th for Same Day Delivery In/Near London & Next All of UK Delivery Wed 19th - Order by 17:00 on 18th
Checkout Allows Multi-Address
& Multi Person Drops
+
Same Day In/Near London
From £9.00
+
Free 2 Day Delivery
On £250+ or 6 bottles (UK Mainland)
+
Wrapping, Cards
& Messages
+
Worldwide Shipping
From £30.00
+
In Bond Sales
Store with us or Transfer
+
+
Average Review Score: 4.9
* * * * *
Average Review Score: 4.9
* * * * *

Taittinger Collection Roy Lichtenstein | Vintage: 1985 | Released: 1990

Taittinger Collection Roy Lichtenstein | Vintage: 1985 | Released: 1990 - Gift Box >
Taittinger Collection Roy Lichtenstein | Vintage: 1985 | Released: 1990 - Gift Box <
Taittinger Collection Roy Lichtenstein | Vintage: 1985 | Released: 1990 - Gift Box Taittinger Collection Roy Lichtenstein | Vintage: 1985 | Released: 1990 - Gift Box
In the early 1950s, whilst on his first trip to the United States to promote Taittinger champagne, Claude Taittinger met Rudy Kopf, who would later become their partner for the distribution of Taittinger champagne on the other side of the Atlantic. After getting to know each other better, Kopf asked Claude the following question: “In tomorrow’s world, there will only be space for big corporations and artists. Which side will you choose for Taittinger champagne?”. Instinctively, Claude Taittinger replied: “The artists!”; thus, setting out the direction in which he would take Champagne Taittinger when he took over as President 10 years later.

Having forged strong links with several artists, Claude Taittinger created the Taittinger Collection in 1983. He received support from some of the greatest names in contemporary art to showcase the best vintage Grands Crus produced by the Champagne House. The bottle becomes both the canvas and the inspiration for a creation, signed by a distinguished artist. The Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely was the first artist to produce work for this unique art gallery, which to date includes a long line of designs by artists such as André Masson, Roy Lichtenstein, Imaï, Rauschenberg and Amadou Sow.

Artist: Roy Lichtenstein was born on the 27th October 1923 in Manhattan. After painting in the style of abstract expressionism up until 1960, Lichtenstein became one of the leading artists of the American Pop Art movement. This was a very graphic style, which drew inspiration from comics and everyday media images. Surfaces were often created using ‘Ben Day dots’. These dots were stencilled to imitate the pixelated effect of printed images. His work reflected ‘popular culture’, showing the way it functioned and its significant moments, including war and social conflict. He focused on images showing the ‘excessive’ side of life, such as the materialistic commercials of this epoch. He died in Manhattan on 29th September 1997.

Art: In his design for the Taittinger Collection, Lichentstein remained faithful to his world inspired by comic book art and transferred it into the world of paintings. He sought to create a visual shock by using dots and the careful choice of a few dominant colours - Van Gogh yellow, Royal blue and British Racing green. However, he wanted to take things further. By elongating the image to the point of confusion, the facial hair, which appears below his signature and extends right up to the vine shoot, reminds us that champagne is the result of the interwoven effort of nature and human ingenuity.

Vintage: The bottle contains a Brut Millésimé 1985, made from a combination of 60 % Pinot Noir and 40 % Chardonnay from the Grands Crus of the Côte des Blancs region.

Weather: The 1985 harvest was not large, but the quality was superb. Terrible frosts in January and February had caused irreparable damage in several vineyards. Luckily, the situation improved at the start of the summer. The vines flowered early and superb weather throughout September and October caused the grapes to swell and give bulk to the bunches.

Due to the limited nature of these bottles, they are becoming increasingly difficult to source - particularly the original vintages from the 1980s. Full collections are especially rare. At this age we dont expect these champagnes to be drunk, more of a collector item for the bottle artwork.

Read more about the full collection here

Gift box is a bit worn and scuffed as seen in photo
With history dating back to 1734, Champagne Taittinger is the third oldest House in the region. When Pierre Taittinger purchased Forest-Fourneaux in 1932, the label was officially born and a century of incredible growth saw Taittinger become one of the biggest producers and one of the last big independent, family-owned Houses. This changed briefly after a takeover in 2005, however the House was bought back into the family in 2006 by Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger. Today, the brand has been successfully refreshed with entrepreneurial spirit and is firmly under family control: Pierre-Emmanuel retired in 2019 and was succeeded as President by his daughter Vitalie, supported by her brother Clovis who was promoted to Managing Director primarily focusing on global sales.

The proud owners of 288-hectares of vineyards in the best localities, Taittinger self-supply half of their grape needs. The hallmark of the Taittinger style is the high percentage of Chardonnay, providing the characteristic elegance, delicacy and freshness for which their champagnes are so well-known. The pride of the House is the pure-Chardonnay prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne, a pioneering blanc de blancs that ranks amongst the finest of all prestige cuvées. In late 2015, Tatittinger announced that they had started sparkling wine production in Southern England.

In 2017 Taittinger received two environmental accreditations : the ‘Viticulture Durable en Champagne’ (Sustainable vine-growing in Champagne) and the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE – High environmental sustainability.)
Chef de Cave History at Champagne Taittinger:

Alexandre Ponnavoy Taittinger Cellar Master 2017 to current

Born in 1979 in the region of Dijon, he decided to come to Reims following his MA in Agronomy at the Jules Guyot Institute (University of Burgundy) and ENITA Dijon. He graduated with a Master’s degree in Oenology-Champagne Wines majoring in Quality, Marketing, Legislation and Management. Taking advantage of his educational background he joined a Champagne House in Reims, for which he went to vinify wines in California. From 2007 to 2015, he worked at the Champagne Technological Station as a consulting oenologist. He advised more than 150 wine estates, merchants and cooperators in Champagne (but also in the rest of France and abroad) and accompanied them through the development and marketing of their sparkling wines.

In April 2015, Ponnavoy joined Champagne Taittinger to work alongside Loïc Dupont, immersing himself in the house's philosophy and techniques . After a few years of collaboration, he assumed the role of Chef de Cave in 2017. Ponnavoy brings a more technical and modern approach, with a background in both oenology and viticulture. A mission to uphold the house's style while introducing greater precision and freshness. Continued emphasis on Chardonnay and long lees ageing for top cuvées. Ponnavoy's work is already evident in newer vintages of Comtes and the refinement of the Brut Réserve and Prestige Rosé.

Under Ponnavoy's leadership, Taittinger has reinforced its commitment to sustainable viticulture. The vineyards are managed without herbicides, and practices such as cover cropping and mechanical weeding are employed to promote environmental health and grape quality. Beyond his work in Champagne, Ponnavoy is instrumental in Taittinger's English venture, Domaine Evremond, located in Kent. He applies his expertise to craft English sparkling wines that reflect the same dedication to quality and style as their French counterparts.

Loïc Dupont Taittinger Cellar Master 2000 to 2017

Coming from a long-standing Reims family, Loïc Dupont was influenced, from a very young age, by his apprenticeship in the vineyard and wine on the farm of one of his uncles, a harvester-manipulator in Vertus. He chose to complete his training by joining the Reims oenology school, which awarded him his diploma in 1978.

After two jobs, one abroad in a sparkling wine region, he joined Champagne Taittinger in 1984 alongside the Cellar Master Maurice Morlot. There he learned his trade and, above all, the Taittinger style. From 1987 to 1992, he actively participated in the launch of Domaine Carneros a winery created by Champagne Taittinger and Kobrand in the south end of Napa Valley. In 2000, he took up the position of Cellar Master of Maison Taittinger, taking over from Maurice Morlot. His legacy; he is very much the one who fine tuned the Maison style, there was never a weak wine under his tenure, everything was made with a very high level of consistency. Loic also brought that trademark “freshness” to Comtes de Champagne, masterful use of ascorbic acid also known as vitamin C in the right mix acts as an antioxidant.

News Articles

  1. The Taittinger Collection: 1983-2016
    The Taittinger Collection: 1983-2016 We are selling an extremely rare complete set of The Taittinger Collection: The Art of Champagne - 13 champagnes in total, from vintage 1978 to vintage 2008.
  2. 2018 Vins Clairs: A Vintage Summary
    2018 Vins Clairs: A Vintage Summary Earlier this year, we tasted a range of 2018 vins clairs with winemakers at fifteen different houses in Champagne. Thanks to exceptional weather throughout the year, some have been calling it 'the vintage of the century' and expectations are already sky-high. But just how much potential does 2018 have?
  3. Taittinger: 2018 Vins Clairs Tasting
    Taittinger: 2018 Vins Clairs Tasting The unusual weather patterns in 2018 produced the "perfect conditions for the vineyard", according to new Taittinger Chef de Cave Alexandre Ponnavoy. We met last month to taste the vins clairs, which displayed incredible specificity: each wine showcasing the distinctive characteristics of its individual origins.
  4. The Future According to Taittinger
    The Future According to Taittinger Our trip to Reims in August included a smorgasbord of Taittinger: over twenty champagne tasted with head winemaker Loïc Dupont, including an interesting look into the future with Comtes de Champagne 2008 and 2012.
  5. Taittinger: One Big Champagne Family
    Taittinger: One Big Champagne Family We tasted the 2016 base wines with Vitalie Taittinger, Loïc Dupont & Damien Le Sueur. Discussing the influence of oak barrels, the new 'image of Taittinger Rosé', the potential for Comtes 2016 and Taittinger's new winery; this was a truly eye-opening visit.

More Taittinger Champagnes

Taittinger Brut Reserve
Single Price
£47.00
Mix 6 Price
£45.00 each
Mix 12 Price
£43.00 each
50% Chardonnay + 4 yrs lees ageing, light and elegant
Taittinger Prestige Rose
Single Price
£60.00
Mix 6 Price
£56.00 each
Mix 12 Price
£54.00 each
Delicate rose 3+ yrs on lees gives a lightness & elegance
Taittinger Prelude Grands Crus
Single Price
£62.00
Mix 6 Price
£58.00 each
Mix 12 Price
£56.00 each
Stunning NV Blend from all Grand Cru Vineyards

Wines for Same Day or Next Day Delivery

Filters >
Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes 2009 - No Gift Box
Single
£44.00
Mix 6
£42.00 each
Mix 12
£40.00 each
Sweet Dessert Wine 93% Sémillon & 7% Sauv.
Danbury Ridge Pinot Noir Octagon Block 2022 - No Gift Box English
Single
£84.00
Mix 6
£82.00 each
Mix 12
£80.00 each
Top producer single vineyard Pinot Noir
Chateau Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux 2016 - No Gift Box
Single
£64.00
Mix 6
£60.00 each
Mix 12
£58.00 each
Top Year & Critics Favourite - Super Value