There are very few ‘Champagne Houses’ like Taittinger that still bear their proprietors’ name. Taittinger is above all the story of an exacting family with a passion for their work, who decided they would never compromise on quality. It’s the high proportion of Chardonnay used to create the different editions that are key to the secret of Taittinger Champagne’s very characteristic style, the essence of finesse and elegance, recognised all over the world.
To taste the intensity, to awaken your senses and to evoke lightness, elegance and freshness: these are the purposes and the promises boldly pursued by Taittinger through its three rosé editions, three defining moments and three taste experiences.
Prestige Rosé
With its trademark liveliness and crispness, Taittinger Prestige Rosé is instantly identifiable from its deep colour, a result of the secrets of its production process: a delicately blended rosé whose creation requires no small degree of precision. This champagne gets its incomparable colour and structure from the 15% of non-sparkling red wine, from the best Pinots Noirs in the Mountain of Reims and Les Riceys, that is added during the final blending. Its structure is given body and suppleness by the delicious flavours brought to it by the red non-vinified Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir grapes. Finally, the Chardonnay, so esteemed by Maison Taittinger, titillates your palate with its freshness and vigour. In the mouth, vibrant, velvety and full-bodied sensations arise from the taste of the young red fruit, such as only a blended rosé can produce. The result is an assertive rosé champagne that is all about pleasure. It is best when served accompanying red berries, tartare of scallops, crab or meat creating a fusion of slight sweetness and champagne.
Comtes Rosé 2007
Every season of the year brings moments that deserve to be celebrated with exceptional champagne. Comtes de Champagne Rosé 2007 is the ultimate expression of the art of Maison Taittinger. It is the champagne par excellence of the gastronomic world, enhancing delicate white meat dishes as well as revealing its full potential when paired with lobster. A fabulous vintage whose subtle, exuberant energy fuses sublimely with the intense flavour of certain cheeses, such as old Comté or Chaource, or with the zesty sweetness of baked pears or blueberry tart.
2007 is a fully matured vintage. Its superb maturity tantalizes all the senses with a deep pink robe highlighted with glints of copper, an extremely delicate persistent effervescence, a nose of crushed strawberries, lime and liquorice underlined by a hint of roast coffee and cacao. The palate is entranced by a variation of gourmet sensations. The fresh, precise and taut attack gives way to reveal a supple, molten and heady structure. The finish imparts fruity notes underscored by a saline freshness. With the purity of its precise, gourmet aromatic structure, the Comtes de Champagne Rosé 2007 is perfectly in line with its predecessors and promises to offer excellent ageing potential.
Comtes de Champagne Rosé is only produced when the qualitative criteria exist to faithfully preserve the cuvee’s signature style. Comprised of 30% Chardonnay Grands Crus from the most prestigious Côte des Blancs terroirs combined with 70% Pinot Noir sourced from the Montagne de Reims Grands Crus, this blend is enhanced with 15% red wine from Bouzy Pinots, whose somewhat long pre-maceration fermentation ensures a superb tannic structure with fruit-forward aromas of red and black berries. Before being exposed to light, Comtes de Champagne Rosé 2007 will have undergone more than 10 years of ageing in the heart of the Saint-Nicaise chalk cellars dating from Gallo-Roman times; a maturation that guarantees the complexity of the wine’s aromas.
In celebration of this glorious Champagne, Taittinger commissioned the late David Austin to breed a beautiful rose named after the Comtes de Champagne. Read about it here.
Nocturne Rosé
Sparkling tiny bubbles of light form the pink champagne of the night, which embodies Taittinger’s suave, well-rounded promise to keep champagne lovers happy until dawn.
Taittinger Nocturne Rosé is a dry (sec) champagne composed of 30% Chardonnay and 70% Pinot Noir and of Pinot Meunier from 30 different crus. 15% of non-sparkling red wine, from the best Pinots Noirs of the Mountain of Reims and Les Riceys, is added to the final blending, creating its uniqueness. On the palate, three adjectives spring to mind: sensual, fresh and unctuous. A 17.5g/l dosage of sugar cane combined with the maturity stemming from a slow ageing process of more than four years in the cellars gives this wine all the sweetness night owls need.
The colour is a bright, intense, flamboyant pink. Bubbles form a delicate cordon of fine foam. A full-bodied nose reveals delicious aromas of patisserie. There are noticeable but very silky tannins. Taittinger Nocturne Rosé is a structured, voluptuous wine that presents an elegant, well-integrated balance of sugar, acid, and tannins. It can be enjoyed on its own throughout the evening or served with a gourmet dessert.
The bountiful flavour of these three perfectly crafted rosés, each with its own distinct identity, confirms Taittinger Champagne’s place in a life made up of beautiful moments.
Amandine Chaignot, chef of the Pouliche restaurant (11 Rue d’Enghien, Paris 10th), cultivates nostalgia and childhood memories by revisiting the traditional ‘candy apple’. The perfect sweet treat to pair with any of Taittinger’s rosé Champagnes.
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Almond Cake
- 150g ground almonds
- 180g sugar
- 150g butter
- 4 eggs
- 65g flour
- pinch of salt
For the Apple Confit
- 4 apples of your choice
- 200g grenadine syrup
- 250g double cream
- 80g sugared almonds
- edible flowers
Method
For the Almond Cake
- Mix the softened butter with the sugar, beat thoroughly for two minutes and add the ground almonds.
- Add the eggs, a pinch of salt and the flour.
- Transfer into a lined cake tin and bake at 170°C for around 25 minutes. Insert a knife to check for doneness. The knife blade should come out clean.
- Leave to cool. Cut into 1/2cm slices into a round shape, using the diameter of the apple as a measure (approx. 6/8cm).
For the Apple confit
- Cut both sides of the apples without peeling. Core the apple and remove the pips with a deep, round apple corer.
- Boil the grenadine syrup with 1 litre of water, then poach the apples for around 20 minutes until soft and slightly pink in colour. Drain and set aside at room temperature.
- Whip the cream into stiff peaks and add the ground almonds. Top each round slice of almond cake with the caramelised apples, then garnish with the almond cream.
- Sprinkle all over with flower petals and slices of fresh apple.