CHAMPAGNETAITTINGER "RESERVE"

An assemblage of some 30 crus, from several harvests, perfectly matured. This strong proportion of Chardonnay is rare amongst great champagnes. It is a priveledge for a great brand to conceive a brut without great millesimes. In 1734, Jacque Fourneaux, a champagne seller, created the company that would one day become Taittinger. In the first part of the 18th Century, the benedictine Abbeys of Hautvillers, Pierry, Verzy and Saint-Nicaise in Reims owned the best vineyards in Champagne. The Abbeys looked after the growing of the vines and the pressing of the harvest and developed the first effervescent wines. They commercialised their product, partly through the Abbey and partly by an intermediary. Jacques Fourneaux plunged into the great adventure of selling Champagnes …initially with prudence. The House of the Comtes de Champagne : During the 19th Century, the company developped and became more prosperous and after the First World War, it moved to the beautiful, historical 18th Century House situated in Rue de Tambour : ‘La Maison des Comtes de Champagne’ where Tibor IV lived who was called the ‘Chansonnier’ (singer) (we know that count Tibor brought vines back from Cyprus – a distant cousin of the chardonnay). It is during this period that the merger between Forest Fourneaux and the Taittinger family saw the latter taking more control. It was in 1932 that Pierre Taittinger could afford to buy the house that the philosopher Cazotte owned previously – who was beheaded during the French Revolution for being faithful to Louis XVI. Innovator and visionary, Pierre Taittinger decided that the chardonnay grape should be the dominant grape of his brand, in perfect harmony with 20th Century mores in which the modern consumer was beginning to favour lightness, finesse and elegance. From 1945, Francois, the third son of Pierre Taittinger, with the help of his brothers Jean and Claude, gave a boost to the House of Champagne which, for some years, bore the name of the family and moved into the cellars of the Abbey Saint Nicaise built in the 13th Century on magnificent Gallo Roman ruins dating from the 2nd Century. In 1960, Francois Taittinger died in a car crash ending his brief but fruitful career. Since then Claud Taittinger presides over the destiny of one of the last great champagne Houses, still bearing the name of the family that directs it. He personally oversees the quality of his product, developped in the traditional manner.