Taittinger Champagne: 10 Exciting Bottles & Prices (2024), Winemaking

The prestigious Taittinger Champagne house (pronounced “Tet-ahn-zhay”) produces exceptional bottles - sought-after by wine enthusiasts and collectors alike. 

The exciting lineup of fine Champagne styles ranges from expensive to affordable and from Brut to sweet.

Let’s look into the colorful background of this venerable Champagne house, its vineyards, winemaking practices, the best wines to buy in 2024, and their investment potential.

The Iconic Taittinger Champagne House

Founded in the 18th century by Jacques Fourneaux, today Taittinger is among the largest Champagne producers (located in Reims in the Champagne region of France.) With Vitalie Taittinger at the helm (Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger's daughter), the Champagne house produces about 5 million bottles annually. 

The most precious of Taittinger’s many beloved cuvées is undoubtedly the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs, which easily commands a few hundred dollars today.  

Taittinger Champagne Signature Wine Styles

Here are the main Taittinger wine styles:

1. Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs
2. Comtes de Champagne Rosé
3. Brut Réserve (NV Brut La Francaise)
4. Prestige Rosé
5. Other Taittinger Champagnes

1. Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs

The flagship Comtes de Champagne is produced only in exceptional years. It is reputed to be the first and the most consistent Blanc de Blancs from the Champagne region.

The Comtes de Champagne is composed entirely of the Chardonnay grape, sourced from the prestigious Grand Cru vineyards of Côte des Blancs. Oak is used sparingly to impart the flavor of brioche and grilled almonds in this exquisite Grand Cru wine. 

2. Comtes de Champagne Rosé

The Comtes de Champagne Rosé is produced only in exceptional vintages, and is Champagne Taittinger’s most rare cuvée. 

This exceptional wine is composed entirely of Grand Cru grapes, with a high proportion of Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims region (about 70 %) and 30% Chardonnay from Côte des Blancs.

Only the juice from the first pressing is used to ensure structure and long aging potential. 15% Pinot Noir is blended in as still red wine.

3. Brut Réserve (NV Brut La Francaise) 

The non-vintage Taittinger Brut Réserve is known as NV Brut La Francaise in some markets. This Brut Champagne is a blend of the three signatures wines in varying percentages (35 Pinot Noir, 25 Pinot Meunier, and 40 Chardonnay wines.) 

The grapes for the Brut Réserve come from 35 different vineyards and vintages. Typically 20% of the blend is composed of reserve wines, aged on the lees at least three years before release. 

The extra time in the cellars allows this house style to reach its full aromatic maturity, resulting in a beautifully balanced Champagne tasting of fresh fruit and honey.

4. Prestige Rosé

The unique, intense color and sweetness of the Prestige Rosé come from the still Pinot wines. A high proportion of the Chardonnay grape variety (30%) completes the cuvée, giving this wine elegance and delicacy.

5. Other Taittinger Champagnes

Here are some other fantastic Taittinger cuvées you may consider adding to your sparkling wine collection:

• Prelude Grand Crus: This is a 50/50 blend of Grand Cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. The Cuvee is aged for fi

  ve years before release. It has mild hints of white flowers and cinnamon with fresh fruit flavors dominated by white peach.

• Brut Millesime: The Taittinger Brut Millesimeis only created in exceptional years and spends several years in the cellar to develop complexity and aromatic maturity. The resulting long-lasting character is a Taittinger hallmark much appreciated by any wine enthusiast.  

• Folies de la Marquetterie: This Brut Champagne is a tribute to the Château de la Marquetterie, and it’s made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that grows on the hillsides around the chateau. The wine reveals a distinct tasting note of cookies with vanilla pod and peach hints.

• Nocturne: The Nocturne is a sweet (sec) Champagne, with four years of aging before disgorgement. This is a smooth, creamy sparkling wine with a refined flavor palate of raisins and syrupy fruit notes. Also, expect stone fruits flavor hints on the palate.

• Nocturne Rosé: This “sec” Champagne reflects the Prestige Rosé style. 17.5g/l dosage of sugar and four years of aging creates a well-rounded and smooth drink. Experience fruit flavors like pear and raspberry with some brioche. 

• Demi-Sec: The Demi-Sec is similar to the Brut Reserve. The difference lies in the dosage of 33g/l sugar, giving this Champagne a specific sweetness best paired with desserts. This is a zesty Champagne with refreshing lemon flavors and hints of pear and apple.

10 Fine Champagne Taittinger Cuvees for Your Collection

Let’s take a closer look at some of the best Taittinger bottles:

1. 1990 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut ($627)
2. 2018 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut ($137)
3. 1979 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut Rose ($742)
4. 2016 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut Rose ($186)
5. 2008 Taittinger Collection Victor Vasarely ($466)
6. 2000 Taittinger Collection Zao Wou-Ki ($413)
7. 1992 Taittinger Collection Roberto Matta ($358)
8. Taittinger Brut Reserve, Champagne ($50)
9. Taittinger Brut Prestige Rose, Champagne ($64)
10. 2011 Taittinger Brut Millesime ($182)

1. 1990 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut ($627)

The distinctive 1990 Comtes de Champagne is sweet on the nose with the aroma of apricot, toasty apples, honey, and citrus. The refined palate displays maturity, depth, and power, with citrus, apricots, and almonds flavor notes.

2. 2018 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut ($137)

This delicate wine has a complex nose with toasty notes of wax and herbs. The powerful palate has high acidity, displaying fresh, juicy citrus and pear fruit flavors and a hint of baked cookies. 

3. 1979 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut Rose ($742)

The 1979 vintage Champagne is among the finest and most delicate alcoholic beverages you can sip on at a relaxing family dinner or a festive party. Itis a profusion of earth, ash, strawberry, and orange peel aromas. There is a richness on the palate with acidity that leads to a medium-length finish. 

4. 2016 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut Rose ($186)

The 1985 Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a rich wine with pure texture. Smoke, leather, and tobacco are some of the nuances that open up before the intense fruit takes over the senses.

5. 2008 Taittinger Collection Victor Vasarely ($466)

This was the first artistic collaboration in the Taittinger Collection — created by Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely for the 1978 Brut Millésimé vintage Champagne and released in 1983. What makes this cuvée even rarer is that the 1978 harvest was one of the smallest in the Champagne region history since the post-war period. 

6. 2000 Taittinger Collection Zao Wou-Ki ($413)

Beijing-based artist Zao Wou-Ki created the artwork for the 1998 vintage Taittinger Brut Millésimé. His work is a mysterious blend of abysses and sea beds, grottos, and skies, depicting a sense of freedom and weightlessness. Like his art, the wine has a freshness and harmony to it. 

7. 1992 Taittinger Collection Roberto Matta ($358)

Chilean artist Roberto Matta created the packaging for this Taittinger Champagne. The artwork is a design of poppies, a symbol of war remembrance, on an ochre background with calligraphic marks running across it. 

8. Taittinger Brut Reserve, Champagne ($50)

The Brut Réserve (also known as NV Brut La Francaise) is made with a small portion of reserve wines. This bubbly was awarded 91 points by Wine Spectator and displays aromas of poached pear, peach, orange, white flowers, and vanilla pod. The lively palate presents a harmonious balance of the Chardonnay and Pinot wines that present juicy citrus stone fruits, subtle ginger, and toasted grain nuances. 

The clear, persistent finish is well-structured with refreshing lemon flavors and notes of peach and ginger.

9. Taittinger Brut Prestige Rose, Champagne ($64)

The Prestige Rosé Champagne was awarded 91 points by the Wine Spectator. It is characterized by delicate bubbles, vibrancy, freshness, and acidity. Experience an expressive nose of strawberries, cherries, and blackcurrants. The palate is a delicate balance of full-bodied taste and velvety texture.

10. 2011 Taittinger Brut Millesime ($182)

This delicate wine has a dominant tasting note of pear and underlying hints of subtle ginger and spice.

Now let’s look at the investment potential of Taittinger wines.

Investing in Taittinger Champagne

The top cuvées - Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs and Comtes de Champagne Rosé - are the most collectible Taittinger wines. These wines can age for at least 10-20 years in your cellar. 

These prestigious cuvees also show high price appreciation over time. For example:

• 2002 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut increased in value by 60% from $223 in 2020 to $358 in 2021.
• 2007 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut Rose increased in value by 43%, from $156 in 2020 to $223 in 2021.

Older vintages, especially, can draw high prices at auctions. Here are two examples:

• The 1976 Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne sold for $2,075 at a Christie’s auction in 2007.
• A Taittinger artist collection including 7 vintages from 1978 to 1992 sold at a Sotheby’s auction in 2021 for $1,855.

If you want to invest in Taittinger, look for recent vintages that have scored well among critics - like 2002, 2006, or 2008. These are likely to age beautifully and increase in value over time.

The best Taittinger Champagnes are highly sought-after at release, and older vintages are even harder to come by. 

The smartest way to get hold of them is via a wine investment company like Vinovest.

Vinovest offers a profitable and safe way to invest in fine wines from anywhere in the world (from France, Italy, New Zealand, or even South Africa.) With just a few clicks of your mouse, you’ll be able to add Champagnes like Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, and Perrier-Jouet to your portfolio.

Let’s also look at the viticulture and winemaking techniques used at this Champagne house, and a bit of its history.

Taittinger Vineyards 

In Champagne, it’s common for the Champagne houses to buy (instead of grow) grapes for

their sparkling wine production. 

However, Champagne Taittinger cultivates almost 50% of its grapes. 

Taittinger’s 288 hectares of vineyard real estate is spread across 37 cru vineyards in Côte des Blancs, Vallée de la Marne, and the Montagne de Reims. This includes prestigious Grand Cru vineyards like Ambonnay and Mesnil-sur-Oger.

The vine distribution in these vineyards is 37% Chardonnay, 48% Pinot Noir, and 15% Pinot Meunier.

In 1987, Taittinger extended its vineyard ownership overseas with the addition of Domaine Carneros in Napa Valley, California. Domaine Carneros produces a light, delicately aromatic sparkling wine. 

In 2015, Taittinger added Saint Evremond to their vineyard portfolio and became the first Champagne House to cultivate a vineyard in the United Kingdom. 

Winemaking at Taittinger

For the Comtes de Champagne, grapes from each terroir are pressed separately to retain their unique characteristics. Only juice from the first pressing is used. 

About 5% of the wine is aged in new oak barrels four months before the separate cuvees are blended. A third of these barrels are renewed annually.

Once they are bottled, the wines are aged in the chalk cellars of Saint Nicaise. Taittinger also owns 4km of the famed Gallo-Roman “Crayeres” chalk pits under Reims, where it ages the prestige cuvée bottles. 

The Comtes de Champagne wine is kept on its lees for nearly 10 years, dosed with 10 g/l of residual sugar at disgorgement, then left to settle for six months before release. Most Taittinger wines have an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 12%. 

A Brief History of the Illustrious Taittinger Champagne House

In 1734, textile merchant Jacques Fourneaux founded the Champagne house Forest-Fourneaux. While business soared in the 1800s, its fortunes sagged by the 1930s.

In 1932, Pierre Taittinger acquired the estate inspired by Château de la Marquetterie, where he stayed briefly as a young liaison officer during the First World War.

Alongside Forest-Fourneaux, he also bought the handsome 18th-century Chateau de la Marquetterie. 

The name of the Champagne House wasn’t changed to Taittinger until Francois Taittinger (Pierre Taittinger’s son) relaunched it under the Taittinger family name in the 1940s. 

Francois also increased the estate’s vineyard ownership, acquiring 110 hectares of vines in 1955 (mostly Chardonnay.) 

Chardonnay is the main grape used in the blend, defining the distinct Taittinger style, apparent in the first Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs vintage (1952.) It continues to be a Taittinger hallmark recognized to this day. 

In 2005, the estate was sold to US investment group Starwood but was repurchased a year later by Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger, returning ownership to the Taittinger family.

Today, Champagne Taittinger is run by Vitalie Taittinger as President, with her brother Clovis as Managing Director. 

Time to Buy an Exotic Taittinger Champagne?

If you’re a wine enthusiast who wants to experience the lightness and aromatic character of Taittinger Champagne, grab a bottle of the Brut Réserve or Prestige Rosé, and you’ll understand why this fine Champagne has captured the hearts of many! 

And when you’re ready to splurge a little more, the Comtes de Champagne is an option you shouldn’t pass on — whether for drinking or investing. 

To get a bottle of Taittinger or any other fine wine, head over to Vinovest and seize the endless wine investment opportunities that lie ahead of you.