Wine Palette visits the Champagne House Taittinger !

“Champagne helps to marvel !” said Georges Sand (French writer). And after this day spent at Taittinger, we can confirm ! Indeed, we were on Monday, May 16, in an exceptional visit at the House of Champagne Taittinger. One of the last family Champagne Houses of the region.

A day full of exchanges and discoveries, each one more beautiful than the previous one ! From the historical cellars of the house, between tastings and meals washed down with Champagne in the Château de la Marqueterie, to the visit of the Chardonnay vineyards on the Colline de la Marne. This day allowed us to solidify our partnership and exchanges, as well as to discover once again the Taittinger range.

Embark with us in this sparkling journey that was on the theme of the celebration, and more particularly in the universe of the Counts of Champagne !

About House Taittinger

Created in 1734, the Maison Forest-Fourneaux worked with the Benedictine abbeys that owned the most beautiful vineyards in Champagne. Pierre Taittinger bought the Domaine and the Château de la Marquetterie in 1932, leaving his descendants the time to give the Family House its letters of nobility. In 2006, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger took over the management of Champagne, making excellence his obsession: “Having the name of our family on a bottle imposes a responsibility and a requirement of every moment. This signature carries both the know-how of the past and the commitment for tomorrow”. A vision shared by Vitalie Taittinger, daughter of Pierre-Emmanuel and president of the company since January 2020.

The Taittinger vineyard has grown year after year, reaching 288 hectares today. It is planted with 37% Chardonnay, 48% Pinot Noir and 15% Meunier spread over 37 crus. It is now the second largest estate in Champagne certified High Environmental Value and sustainable viticulture in the region. For four generations, the men and women of the Taittinger House have cultivated the same values inherited from the creators to make their wines shine and live. Each one of them shapes the Taittinger history and style with vision, inspiration and strategy, placing work and excellence above all else.

Thousands of prestige champagne bottles are in “cuve” in the cellars of Maison Taittinger.

Graffiti with a knife of a French soldier stationed in the field hospital of the Taittinger cellars

WWI 1914 – 1918

Sculpture made with “Comtes de Champagne” bottles, in the cellars

The course of the day

The departure was made at 8:30 am by bus from our headquarters in Haubourdin, and we arrived in Reims (Capital of Champagne) at 11 am. We were received by members of the Taittinger House, a warm and very friendly welcome for this sunny day. We went on with the visit of the historical cellars of the House, which are more than 4km long. These cellars have more than 2000 years of history ! Indeed, built by the Romans before Jesus Christ, they were used to preserve their wines of the same year. Digging right into the clay, you can see the pickaxe blows in the walls of the cellars, pickaxe blows that are 2,000 years old! In these cellars, where the temperature stagnates at 10° Celsius and 90% humidity, thousands of bottles are constantly fermenting, patiently waiting to be tasted. A very curious element that is rarely found in other cellars, are the graffiti, which were not made by vandals, no no, but by French soldiers who were stationed in these cellars that served as a hospital and campaign HQ, because Reims was located in the middle of the front line. Graffiti made with knives that are already 100 years old. Cellars rich in History and life… with a tasting of Champagne of the prestige vintage at the exit, a great success !

After this discovery of history and heritage (and excellent champagne) we were welcomed by Maxime Andriveau, Deputy General Manager at Taittinger, with whom we had lunch at Château de la Marqueterie. A delicious meal prepared by the Chef Julien Pennanhoat, and served at each different stage of the meal, with a different champagne, each more succulent than the other and matching perfectly with the dish or the entremet, even the dessert and the cheese ! The Château de la Marqueterie by the way, let’s talk about it, pure jewel of the Louis XV style, it was bought as explained above by the young cavalry officer Pierre-Charles Taittinger who fell in love with it when he joined Marshal Joffre who had established his staff there during the 1914 war. Bought in 1932 and maintained since then by the same family, it is located on the slopes of the hill of the Marne, it dominates the village of Pierry and Epernay. The property being surrounded by vineyards all around, it offers a haven of peace in the middle of nature, to taste an excellent champagne, in excellent company, with a panorama which is, obviously, observable only in champagne.

We were able to enjoy the afternoon in the gardens and vineyards of the castle, while continuing to taste the champagnes of the House. Before returning to our native North to share these memories, which we have in our heads.

The rear façade of the Château de la Marqueterie and its access to the garden

View from the garden on the Castle and the Valley

(And champagne)

Wine Palette & House Taittinger

For several decades now, Cuvelier & Fauvarque (Wine Palette’s parent company) and Taittinger have been working hand in hand to offer our customers and partners the best champagne and sparkling experiences!

A similar history and structure, common passions and shared goals and visions. We are currently the largest supplier of Champagne Taittinger in the Hauts-de-France region, a title of which we are of course very proud! This is what makes our partnership a successful and long-lasting one! Private customers, restaurant owners, wine merchants, business gifts, we are always proud and delighted to supply bubbles made in Taittinger, because they are a guarantee of excellence, finesse, pleasure and festivities, celebrations and above all, the French lifestyle, which we would not change for anything in the world.

Do you remember ? Our last article and newsletter were about wine tourism in France, so here is an express recommendation from our teams: go visit the Maison Taittinger, we assure you that you will love the experience !