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Taittinger, Brut Réserve (NV)

SparklingFranceNV

By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-01-27 · Published 2026-09-19 · Updated 2026-09-19

In one paragraphTaittinger Brut Réserve is the non-vintage Brut from Maison Taittinger in Reims, Champagne, blending Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier at 12% ABV. The house's roots go back to Forest-Fourneaux, founded by Jacques Fourneaux in 1734 and counted among the third-oldest houses in Champagne. Pierre Taittinger, who had served on the Western Front at the Château de la Marquetterie during WWI, bought the house in 1932 through that connection and put his own name on it; his son François Taittinger built the modern identity in 1952 by creating the prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs. The house was sold to the Starwood group in 2005, then bought back by the family for €660 million under Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger in 2006. It's known for a higher proportion of Chardonnay than most large houses (around 40% in Brut Réserve). On Vivino, this non-vintage wine has 57,690 ratings averaging 4.2 — the second-largest sample of any wine covered in this magazine, after Krug Grande Cuvée (39,670). Nearly 30 critic scores are on file, mostly in the 85–93 range. The nose leads with tree fruit (3,180 mentions), followed by citrus (2,428) and a bread-and-nut group of brioche and toast (2,380). Structure: fizziness 4.3/5, acidity 4.2, intensity 3.7. I scored it 4. World average price: US$53 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026) per 750ml, ex-tax (Wine-Searcher).

At a glance

About 30 critic scores on Vivino — ranging from 78 in 2009 to 94 in 2010, but mostly clustered in the 85–93 range

Market note: Korean market availability was not checked (this site covers only overseas retail and Wine-Searcher's world average price).

What this wine is

Taittinger's roots go back to 1734, when Jacques Fourneaux founded the house of Forest-Fourneaux in Reims — counted among the third-oldest houses in Champagne. The current name came much later, in the 20th century: Pierre Taittinger discovered Champagne while working as a wine merchant in 1911, and after serving on the Western Front at the Château de la Marquetterie during WWI, bought that same house in 1932 and put his own family name on it.

His son François Taittinger created the prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs in 1952 and bought 110 hectares of vineyards in 1955, establishing the house's identity — more delicate and Chardonnay-forward than most large houses. Under president Claude Taittinger from 1960 to 2005, the house's international reputation grew dramatically, but in 2005 it faced a crisis: sold to the Starwood group. The following year, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger spent €660 million buying back the family stake — a sale and buyback within a single year, a rare turn even by Champagne's standards.

Taittinger also shows up in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. In the 1953 novel Casino Royale, Bond asks the sommelier for 'the Taittinger '45,' who suggests instead, 'A fine wine, but if Monsieur will permit... the Blanc de Blancs Brut 1943 of the same marque is without equal.' Bond agrees and calls it 'probably the finest champagne in the world.' It's the first time Fleming named Taittinger in a Bond novel, and the moment that made it Bond's original Champagne of choice throughout the series. In 1963, Fleming himself reportedly received a gift of Comtes de Champagne 1953 from Claude Taittinger and used the same phrase in his thank-you letter.

What the world says

This non-vintage Brut Réserve has 57,690 Vivino ratings averaging 4.2 — the second-largest sample of any wine this magazine has covered, after Krug Grande Cuvée (39,670). Nearly 30 critic scores are on file; there's an outlier low of 78 in 2009, but most cluster in the 85–93 range.

The flavor keywords lead with the tree-fruit group — green apple, apple, peach — at 3,180 mentions, followed by citrus and lemon (2,428) and the bready group of brioche and toast (2,380). Structure: fizziness 4.3/5, acidity 4.2, intensity 3.7 — fizziness and acidity running neck and neck at the high end, which lines up precisely with the 'crisp' feel Daniel described in his note. Compared with other Champagne houses, it sits below Krug Grande Cuvée (Vivino 4.6), but it's notable that Taittinger holds this score at a far larger production scale and a much more accessible price point.

How I drank it

27 January 2020, 4 stars. A short note: "Apple, grapefruit, stone, minerals, toast, biscuit. The bubbles are really abundant, and you can clearly feel them bursting and dying down once you hold it in your mouth. A crisp Champagne~" It lists six aroma notes, then closes with a sensory description of the bubble texture — a record focused on sensation rather than interpretation.

The line about bubbles 'clearly bursting and dying down' matches the Vivino structure data's fizziness of 4.3/5, and the closing 'crisp' lines up with the acidity at 4.2/5. His 4-star score nearly matches the Vivino community average of 4.2 — his impression that night wasn't far from the consensus.

Where this wine shows up

Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.

Vivino community data

NV vintage rating distribution (57690 ratings, average 4.2)

Most-mentioned aromas

Structure: Acidity 4.2/5 · Intensity 3.7/5 · Fizziness 4.3/5

Average by vintage (all vintages: 57690 ratings, average 4.2)

My original note (Vivino, 2020-01-27)

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Frequently asked questions

Links & sources

View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher

• Vivino — wine page and community data
• Taittinger official — The History
• This Day in Wine History — Taittinger Champagne House
• Jancis Robinson — Champagne: James Bond's royal flush
• The Instant When (Taittinger) — James Bond & Taittinger

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