Champagne Taittinger Vintage Brut Millesime
The Taittinger Vintage Brut is exclusively produced from first press wines, blended from 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir. The Grands Crus make up a significant proportion at 70%, while the other selected villages are all classified as Premiers Crus. Ageing in the cellars for 5 years enhances complexity and helps the wine to flourish. The vivid, lively nose exudes fruity and floral aromas, with a white blossom bouquet (orchard flowers, lime blossom, honeysuckle) punctuated with aromas of fresh fruits (lemon, peach) giving way to almond notes with a hint of brioche.
The palate is crisp and wonderfully precise. With citrus influences, it offers a truly excellent balance of structure and sophistication. The finish is complex, with both elegance and length. Also featuring creamy bubbles, this vintage has all the qualities to make it a great wine. In its youth, it expresses itself superbly on its own, and then as the years go by, its generous structure will pair equally well with delicate and refined dishes.
2014 was characterised by mild temperatures and frequent rainfall. There was some frost in late March but thankfully it did not cause any significant damage. This was followed by a spell of hot weather which brought forward the vine’s vegetative cycle by 10 days. Full flowering began in June. Summer was a combination of dry, wet and cold spells. The year was marked by an unprecedented outbreak of disease, which endangered the fragile Pinot Noir skins.
Harvest took place from 8th to 20th September. The Chardonnays combined notes of white blossom with citrus notes and their palate full and acidic. The Pinot Noirs had subtle, fresh aromas of tart white fruits and scattered notes of red fruits. They showed a vivid and fresh structure on the palate.
Producer
The Taittinger family has managed the Champagne House for nearly a century. Its aim has always been the pursuit of excellence. “Having our family name on a bottle places demands and responsibilities on every minute. The name on the bottle conveys both the skills and knowledge of the past and a commitment to the future”.
Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger has embodied this commitment for 40 years, and today he shares it with his son, Clovis and his daughter, Vitalie who both work beside him in the day to day running of the Champagne House. Together, they create a very close-knit and complementary family trio.
The vitality and reach of the Taittinger brand is based on the values of those who embody it today. These values are inherited from those who created the Champagne House.
Over three generations, a number of people have left their mark on the history, spirit and style of Taittinger and, beyond that, on the image of Champagne itself. Vision, inspiration, strategy, development and influence have all contributed to permanently shaping the destiny of the family and the reputation of the Champagne House.
With 288 hectares of vineyards to watch over through the changing seasons , the men and women who work at Taittinger have learnt to listen to the vines and care for them meticulously. Taittinger is the third largest vineyard owner in the Champagne region and everyone in the team is proud of being a winegrower and a real artisan, working towards producing Champagne House’s unique style. This style is the result of a quest for quality and the beautiful synergy of its Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes.
Champagne Taittinger Vintage Brut Millesime - Hay Wines
