Taittinger

History

Pierre Taittinger discovered champagne in 1911 as a négociant at the Union Champenoise. With his brother-in-law Paul Evêque he bought Forest-Fourneaux, which the house calls one of the oldest houses in Champagne, and in 1932 made it the start of a new family business.¹ A founding date of 1734 for Forest-Fourneaux is often quoted; the house gives 1734 only as the construction date of the Château de la Marquetterie, which the family bought in 1932 and used as its base from 1934.⁴

François Taittinger created the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs in 1952 and acquired 110 ha of vines in 1955. Claude Taittinger chaired the house from 1960 to 2005, and Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger took it over in 2006.¹

Cellars and vineyards

The Reims cellars at Saint-Nicaise are Gallo-Roman chalk pits 18 metres underground and part of the UNESCO World Heritage site; the Comtes de Champagne cuvée ages there for nearly ten years.⁴ See crayère. The UMC records 288 ha of own vines.²

Wines

The UMC lists Brut Réserve, Brut Prestige Rosé, Brut Millésimé, Prélude Grands Crus, Les Folies de la Marquetterie, Nocturne Sec, Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs and Rosé, and the Taittinger Collection.² See blanc de blancs and prestige cuvée.