Taittinger Brut Vintage 2012

Pierre Taittinger acquired the cellars of Forest-Fourneaux in 1932, inheriting 4th-century Gallo-Roman crayères beneath the former Abbey of Saint-Nicaise — the same chalk tunnels where this 2012 Millésimé spent a minimum of five years on lees, far exceeding the appellation's three-year vintage requirement. The 2012 growing season delivered extreme weather swings that compressed yields and concentrated extract, producing a vintage of unusual depth and textural generosity against the house's characteristic chalk-driven minerality.

The blend is approximately 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir, drawn from Grand Cru parcels across the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims — over 70% Grand Cru fruit by house policy for Millésimé releases. Fermentation is carried out in temperature-controlled stainless steel using only first-pressing cuvée juice, preserving primary aromatic precision; no new oak enters the equation. At disgorgement, Taittinger employs ascorbic acid in the liqueur d'expédition combined with CO₂ jetting — a technically distinctive antioxidant protocol that reduces SO₂ while locking in freshness across extended post-disgorgement aging.

What separates this Millésimé from Pinot-dominant peers is Taittinger's structural commitment to Chardonnay parity even in a vintage that rewarded Pinot concentration — a deliberate house transgression. The 2012 is drinking beautifully now and carries the structure to evolve further through the late 2020s.