Highclere & Taittinger
Taittinger epitomises the very best of Champagne. In 1932 Pierre Taittinger bought the Château de la Marquetterie-formerly a command post, where he was stationed during World War 1 and fell in love with the property and the Champagne region. From 1945 the business was run by Pierre’s third son Francois. Under his direction, the Taittinger cellars were established in the Abbey of Saint Nicaise, built in the 13th century in the Gallo-Roman chalk pits dating back to the fourth century. These cellars were awarded UNESCO status in 2015. Some 18 metres underground these are open to visitors and well worth exploring if you are ever in the region.
Today Taittinger remains one of the very few houses which is still family owned and is run by the eponymous family. Vitalie Taittinger, the great grand-daughter of the founder took over the helm as President, from her father Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger in 2020 and works alongside her brother Clovis who oversees the sales and marketing of Taittinger.
With 288ha of vineyards, Taittinger are the third largest grower in the region and take huge pride in the environmentally friendly practices they undertaken in their vineyards. The blend for the non- vintage is classic consisting of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the former bringing the most influence to the house style-elegance, finesse and delicacy. In addition to a range which includes rosé, vintage and the prestige Cuvée Comtes de Champagne made from 100% Chardonnay and only in exceptional years, Taittinger has been a pioneer in developing new brands such as Nocturne and Prélude, designed to appeal to specific tastes and occasions.
In 2017 Taittinger became the first Champagne house to plant vines in the UK. The first bottles of Domaine Evremond due to be released in 2024.
Many of our owners have become passionate supporters of Taittinger having had ample opportunities to taste in different surroundings such as stays at the Jockey Club Rooms, the Highclere Yearling Parade and picnics at big festival meetings such as Royal Ascot, Goodwood and York. In addition our owners receive a bottle of the delicious non-vintage to celebrate their first winner of the season.