The Taittinger House creates a “cuvée millésimée” only in those years when the harvest is of exceptional quality. Despite a chaotic year, much later than usual, the 2016 harvest proved superb, giving rise to its own Brut Millésimé.
WINE YEAR 2016
A particularly mild winter started off the winegrowing year. The cold finally made an appearance in March, followed by a series of destructive spring frosts and heavy rainfall, forcing winegrowers to be proactive and extremely adaptable.
It was not until August that the fine weather finally arrived, very dry, hot and sunny, and even torrid, providing perfect conditions for the end of the growing season.
Depending on the area, the harvests extended from mid- to late September during the early cool autumn. The winemaking teams applauded the perfect ripeness; and although the amounts harvested were smaller than in previous years, the grapes turned out to be superb, promising elegant, fresh and fruity wines, true “classics”. After a harsh and excruciating year, the high quality of the harvest represented a just reward for all the work done in the field.
TERROIR
Wines from some fifteen villages compose this blend : 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir. Wines from Grands Crus plots account for a considerable proportion– 70% – while the other selected vineyards are all classified Premiers Crus. Another quality criteria called for cellaring the wines for more than five years to ensure that the aromas mellowed slowly while the complexity developed.
The cellar master’s cuvée par excellence
Reflecting the year, the Brut Millésimé represents the quintessence of the work of Taittinger’s cellar master, Alexandre Ponnavoy, and before him, Loïc Dupont. ‘The challenge is to reveal the characteristics of the year, while retaining a style, a common thread’, says Vitalie Taittinger.
‘All the experience of the Taittinger House is behind the Brut Millésimé cuvée, to capture this aromatic potential, but also the grapes at full maturity, which will enable us to produce vintages with high aromatic concentration, strong consistency and real personality,’ adds Alexandre Ponnavoy.
SUBTLETIES OF BRUT MILLÉSIMÉ 2016
The Brut Millésimé 2016 boasts beautiful complexity.
There are floral aromas of hawthorn and pleasant notes of pear, kumquat, verbena, gingerbread and white flowers, underpinned by a subtle minty note.
The palate reveals sublime energy and a fresh, dynamic attack with accents of flowers like honeysuckle, combined with delicious notes of peach and citrus fruit. The finish is subtle, with lovely, long-lasting aromas on top of pleasingly bitter orange peel. There is a charming complementarity between the elegance of the chalky soils of the Côte des Blancs and the broader aromatic shoulders of the Pinots Noirs from the Montagne de Reims.
The Brut Millésimé 2016 represents the perfect convergence of a terroir, a year, a climate and the House style.
To enjoy this vintage is to experience the full expression, finesse and maturity of the terroirs.
FOOD PAIRINGS
Perfect for an aperitif with cured ham, cheese puffs or prawns, its powerful structure also makes it an ideal pairing for salmon, John Dory, tuna or a carpaccio of scallops. This 2016 Millésimé presents an ideal champagne for the holidays.
