Originally known as Forest-Fourneaux with history dating back to 1734 and in 1932 Pierre Taittinger bought the House and the Taittinger label was born. A century of incredible growth saw Taittinger become one of the biggest producers and today is one of the last big independent, family-owned Houses. Pierre-Emmanuel retired in 2019 and was succeeded as President by his daughter Vitalie. They own 288-hectares of vineyards and the Taittinger style is the high percentage of Chardonnay. 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.)

The Taittinger Collection first began in 1983 when Claude Taittinger approached his first artist, Hungarian painter Victor Vasarely. The idea was to create a unique bottle design that expressed the style of the 1978 vintage in Champagne. Taittinger Collection Sow is the 12th Edition of the collection and it was designed by Amadou Sow, an African artist from Senegal. The bottle features 'Cosmic Pearls', depicting an evening in Africa with vibrant colours on a black backdrop reflecting the star-studded sky, the universe and beyond. His colourful bottle design is also reminiscent of champagne bubbles. The champagne inside is Taittinger Brut Vintage 2002.

Taittinger produce a vintage champagne only when the harvest has been of exceptional quality. Their Brut Vintage is always a blend of juice exclusively from the first pressing of the grapes and is aged for four years in the cellars, allowing the aromas to mature slowly and the length and complexity of the wine to develop. It consists of Chardonnay from Grand Crus of the Côte des Blancs and Pinot Noir from Grand Crus of the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne.

Weather: The 2002 vintage shaped up magnificently over the spring, with no significant frost and near-perfect flowering. Then followed a summer marked by long, sunny periods interspersed with regular cloudy and rainy spells. The vines were in good health and the dehydration of the grape berries helped them reach new heights of ripeness. Generally considered one of the best harvests in the last twenty years.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand & Premier Cru | Pinot Noir: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne | Chardonnay: Côte des Blancs
Grape Varieties: 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay
Ageing: 4 years on the lees
Dosage: 9 g/l
Drink: Now to 2019

Tasting Note: Bundles of caramel and a delicious toastiness right from the off. A real developed lushness and loads of ripe cooked apple notes. Great length that goes on and on and on.

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 the early 2000s, however the House was bought back into the family in 2008 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.)

Cellar Master: Alexandre Ponnavoy
Winery Location: Reims | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Montagne de Reims
Annual Production (bottles): 6,000,000