Magnum (1,5 L) Champagne Taittinger Brut Prestige Rose

Based on the Brut Reserve, with the addition of red wines largely produced in-house (from sites including Les Riceys), the latest release of Taittinger's NV Brut Prestige Rosé is showing very well, bursting with aromas of raspberries, red berries, brioche, rose petals and blood orange. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, broad and comparatively textural, with good depth at the core and a chalky, gently phenolic and distinctly sapid finish.

One of Champagne's largest houses, Taittinger is also among the regions largest landholders, with their 288 hectares of vineyards supplying some 40% of their requirements. Since 2006 once again under family control, Taittinger is going from strength to strength. Vinification is mainly in stainless steel, though around 30% of the Maison's small Folies de la Marquetterie cuvée ferments in foudre, and since 1988 a small proportion—amounting to around 5%—of the vins clairs for Comtes de Champagne spend a few months in wood. The Taittinger style is pure and expressive, emphasizing charming fruit but gaining in tension and taking on a gently reductive edge as one ascends the house hierarchy to the flagship Comtes de Champagne bottlings. Comtes is one of the most reliably age-worthy wines in Champagne, yet it continues to represent terrific value when compared to—frequently inferior—tête de cuvée bottlings from other Grandes Marques. And the eagerly anticipated 2008 vintage, previewed during this tasting with chef des caves Alexandre Ponnavoy, will be worthy of enthusiastic pursuit when it is released some time within the next 12-18 months. Two others cuvées that fly under the radar are the Folies de la Marquetterie—from parcels Taittinger is farming in pursuit of riper, more concentrated fruit—and the Prélude Grands Crus, a seriously age-worthy Champagne that sometimes gets somewhat lost in the Taittinger range. I'll be reporting in more depth on this important house in the near future, but for now, all these releases come recommended.

„With a darker color, this is more assertive in the Taittinger way. It has plenty of rich berry fruits, some background biscuits and spices and loads of flesh on the palate. The handy depth, strawberry and wild-cherry flavors and phenolics are all polished and really neatly balanced. Drink now.(Oct. 2016)“

„(50% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier; 9 g/l dosage; L3374SV05900): Light orange-pink. Cherry, orange zest and fresh rose aromas show very good clarity and energy. Sappy red fruit flavors display a spicy quality, picking up energy and a floral nuance with air. Concentrated, vibrant and precise, finishing on a zesty mineral note, with lingering spiciness and firm grip.“

„Helles Kirschrot, Silber-Pinkreflexe, sehr zartes Mousseux. Zart kräuterwürzig unterlegtes rotbeeriges Konfit, ein Hauch von Cassis, dunkle Mineralität. Straffer Körper, weiße Apfelfrucht, finessenreich strukturiert, feine Fruchtsüße erst im Abgang, zarter Honig im Nachhall, Brombeeren im Rückgeschmack.(Champagner Trophy 2017)“