Taittinger

In 1932 , a young Parisian with a passion for wine, Pierre-Charles Taittinger , purchased (in one of the most difficult periods of the 20th century) one of the historic Champagne companies, the “ Forest-Forneaux ” maison and thus began his own winemaking adventure. name, under the Taittinger brand, in the town of Reims , a town considered the capital of Champagne together with Epernay . In reality, the story began much earlier, precisely in 1743, when Jacques Fourneaux began his business as a merchant, first selling white and red wines, and then dedicating himself to the trade of sparkling wines. The Forneaux family continues to operate in this sector with great results, until the acquisition by Taittinger, due to the lack of heirs. From the beginning, Pierre-Charles has had a predilection for Chardonnay , an increasingly important grape variety in every blend, in every cuvee. With the arrival of his son Francois, in 1952, the first " Comtes de Champagne " label also arrived, the first "Cuvée de Prestige" produced in the area, made entirely with only white grapes, therefore pure Chardonnay. Quality always comes first, with the acquisition of growing market shares and an increasingly international reputation, thanks above all to his brother Jean who took over the reins of the company in 1976. In 2005 the sensational decision to sell the maison to the group Starwood Capital for the "monstrous" figure of 850 million dollars, but, immediately afterwards, here is the second twist: in 2006 Jean's son, Pierre-Emmanuel, bought back the company and brought it back to the top of the world. Today, with around 290 hectares of vineyard, it is one of the largest maisons in Champagne, while maintaining excellent quality levels. In the owned vineyards, mainly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are grown, to which 15% Pinot Meunier is added. Every year, nine labels are created within the walls of the Maison, names such as " Brut Reserve ", " Prestige ", " Rosé " and " Nocturne " alongside the great "Comtes de Champagne" and the various "vintages" that represent the world's great coat of arms of the Maison Taittinger.