The soul of a family business

The vineyard

The garden of creation

Attachment to the land, to those who care for it, and the constant monitoring of quality have always been the cornerstones of Taittinger’s quest for excellence, as well as the foundation for ensuring that its unique style is maintained. A love of vines and their careful cultivation is a prerequisite for the creation of great champagne. “In order to have gold in our bottles, we must first have gold at our fingertips”, as Vincent Collard, the Manager of Taittinger Vineyard explains. For nothing is possible without man's skills, knowledge, patience and determination, from working with the vines through to the subtle formulation of the blends...

Vineyard

A multi-faceted uniqueness

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.

Read + : Sustainable viticulture using responsible farming practices

A map of green treasure

The Taittinger estate covers 288 hectares located between the ‘Côte des Blancs’, the ‘Vallée de la Marne’ and the ‘Montagne de Reims’. The estate is made up of 37% Chardonnay, 48% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier vines, distributed equally across 37 different vineyards which are amongst the best in the Champagne appellation. Great care is taken over this green treasure, which is grown in a traditional way, according to the requirements for sustainable development. From pruning to the harvest, to reduced distances between the picking areas and the presses, everything is done with the same goal in mind; to obtain the best raw material in order to create the best champagne. In this way, excellence is not a myth, but rather a reality.

The elaboration

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The elaboration

Exacting quality of style

SUSTAINABLE VITICULTURE
USING RESPONSIBLE
FARMING PRACTICES

Today, the Taittinger estate covers 288 hectares located between the ‘Côte des Blancs’, the ‘Vallée de la Marne’ and the ‘Montagne de Reims’. It is made up of 37% Chardonnay, 48% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier vines, distributed equally across 37 different vineyards which are amongst the best in the Champagne appellation.

Taittinger  also has Chardonnay vines planted in the heart of the ‘Côte des Blancs’ in 5 terroirs which produce Grands Crus from this distinguished grape.

The terroirs are located south of Epernay and are: Cramant, Avize, Chouilly, Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger. The vineyards planted with Pinot Noir vines are largely located in the ‘Montagne de Reims’ region (Ambonnay, Mailly-Champagne, Rilly-la-Montagne) and the ‘Côte des Bar’. The parcels of land where Taittinger grows Pinot Meunier vines are in the ‘Vallée de la Marne’ and the ‘Massif de Saint-Thierry’.

The Taittinger estate produces around half of the grapes it needs for production. Taittinger buys the rest of its grapes from partner vineyards, based on long-term commitments and shared cultural philosophies.

In this way, for the past 50 years and despite changing trends, Taittinger has used massal selection (vines with significant clonal variation) for 90% of its vineyards. Whereas clonal selection might create a plot of about ten individual, but identical, reproductive plants, massal selection will create a plot containing hundreds of different plants. This delicate operation involves creating several grafts by cutting a cane on the choicest vine plants. This method adds to the complexity and personality of all the Taittinger wines, as well as preserving important regional genetic heritage.

All of Taittinger’s vineyards are worked in the same way, using the most advanced techniques in responsible viticulture practices available. Taittinger is a pioneer in this area. It has already added grass to 90% of its vineyards - a sight which is unique in Champagne for a vineyard of such a size. The plots are turned with ploughs several times between February and July to work the soil, and herbicides are never used. This traditional way of working increases the plants ability to capture water, as the roots grow down more deeply and the grass between the rows of vines stop water from evaporating. Taittinger entrusts some of its land to local workers skilled in horse-drawn ploughing.

In respect to its vines, Taittinger is pursuing the mid-term aim of being 100% eco-friendly, out of concern for both health and the environment. It has already been using a sustainable approach for the past 10 years and received two environmental awards in 2017: the ‘Viticulture Durable en Champagne’ (Sustainable vine-growing in Champagne) accreditation and the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE- High environmental sustainability) accreditation. This approach also includes the responsible management of water, use of fertilisers and management of waste to preserve the biodiversity of the fauna and flora across the terroir and in the vineyards.

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