Few styles of wine occupy as much fascination and command as much reverence as Champagnes, and so venturing into not just this category but the land itself can often feel like stepping into a whole other realm of its own. And in the realm of Champagnes, its impossible to not speak of the region's Grand Marques - amongst whom are the most recognisable houses internationally and within whom wields arguably the most sway when it comes to what happens across the lands. Across the board, these houses produce the most wines, have the widest distribution, hold access to the most extensive network of growers, and boast resources that can even seek to bend the effects of the climate.

And sometimes these houses cross paths - that's at least the beginning of the story for Virginie Taittinger.

Born to Claude Taittinger [of Champagne Taittinger] and Catherine de Suarez d'Aulan [of Piper-Heidsieck], Virginie is often nicknamed the Princess of Champagne.

As you might've already guessed, Virginie comes from the illustrious and widely renowned Taittinger Champagne family, her father being Claude Taittinger, who served as the Maison's President for 45 years - but that's just one half of it, for her mother Catherine de Suarez d'Aulan too comes from a highly regarded Champagne family, that of the Piper-Heidsieck house, which the d'Aulan's had owned for 137 years. And it is for that reason that Virginie is often nicknamed the Princess of Champagne!

And so it was almost inevitable that Virginie would find herself in world of Champagnes - she would spend 21 years with the Taittinger house, having served in areas from production handling to international marketing, and have even gained experience with sparkling wines beyond Champagne, from the Val de Loire to California, USA. 

The Taittinger house located in Reims.

Yet this would all come to a critical crossroad for the Taittinger's - and even the Champagne region in broad - when in 2005, its numerous heirs had begun to press for a sale of the family's group, Societe du Louvre, which up till that point had become much more than just the 9th best selling Champagne brand, but had come to include within it a massive portfolio of luxury hotels, including the prized Crillon in Paris and Martinez in Cannes, as well as the famed crystal-maker Baccarat, along with other luxury brands. The ultimate sale to an American private equity group was anything but unanimous (although eventually outvoted), with branches of the family opposing the sale, and even numerous industry stakeholders from fellow Champagne houses to local cooperatives and even distributors, importers and key customers voicing their concerns about everything from a possible shift towards prioritising short term profits to cultural disharmony that would disrupt the realm that was Champagne. 

In a pivotal twist of fate, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, Virginie's cousin, would make a historic and earth shattering comeback in securing the necessary backing in order to buy back only the Champagne Taittinger house just one year after its sale. Whilst this brought the family's namesake Champagne house back into the hands of the Taittinger's, Virginie, who had opposed the initial sale from the start, was nevertheless ready to move on. "I was disappointed, because I realised that all of the family wanted to sell, and it was a part of my life... I was too young to retire, and too old to be drunk every day. [And so] We are still moving forward according to our family motto, “Bien-faire, laisser dire” [Translated as "Do well and let them talk"]. We are proud to be the pioneers of a Champagne House dedicated to new and future generations of enlightened consumers who are thirsty for modernity," says Virginie.

And so in 2007, Virginie the Princess of Champagne would step out into her own domaine, with what she calls Champagne 3.0 - Virginie T. as it is called.

"When I started Champagne VIRGINIE T. in 2007 I was 47. It was a good time. I had enough experience but I was still young. I was interested in thinking about the new consumer. I realised I would never be a competitor for big companies like Moët & Chandon or Laurent-Perrier. It's a niche to which I address my champagne. For most, partying with a bottle branded with a big name is enough. But the consumer I’m targeting is more subtle. Everything I do is subtle. When you produce millions of bottles per year, your wine has to taste “normal”.

I wanted us to be Champagne 3.0. In launching a new brand of champagne I was forced to be innovative,... I knew I had to be modern, I had to create, because if I tried to produce the Champagne of the past, it’s been done, I would lose. And if the Champagne was just regular, I would lose."

Despite having fought to preserve her right to use the "Taittinger" name, Virginie would nevertheless opt to carve out her own identity - if you're wondering, the pun is unintentional - and would demonstrate a preference for subtlety, not just in brand, but also in production, limiting her new domaine to under 90,000 bottles made annually, which is marginal compared to the house bearing her family's name, which ranges between 6-7 million bottles annually. "My biggest challenge was to liberate myself of the Taittinger taste and style, and so I had to find my own style - the copy is always less successful than the original," emphasises Virginie. She would further go on to tout, " I am an authentic person. I love what I do and I love talking about what I love. And I can repeat myself… doesn’t matter! I can talk my talk for hours. I believe it’s a skill that I’ve trained too. Not many Champagne directors are champenois. And even fewer can, or even want to, talk about their job!"

And so quite literally building the house of her own name from the ground up, Virginie would first re-examine the crus of Champagne, from the Cotes de Blancs to the Vallee Marne and onwards to Montagne de Reims. Tapping on the rich network of growers that she had come to be familiar with during her time with Taittinger, she would move fast to securing fruit needed for her first vintage, just a year after she had established her own brand. Virginie had decided that her Champagnes would be defined by utilising fruit mainly from only Grand Cru and Premier Cru sites (85% from Grand Cru), with a bias towards Pinot Noir, that is then given added ageing time on the lees - 4 years at the minimum, which contrasts starkly with the standard 1 year that is required to carry the Champagne designation.

Today Virginie runs the Champagne house together with her son, Ferdinand.

By 2015, Virginie would acquire her own winery in Sillery, near Reims, with also most pivotally, her son, Ferdinand Pougatch, joining her in the venture, today playing an equal role alongside his mother, now serving as Cellar Master and Co-President. "I was lucky to work with a captain who was called Monsieur Claude Taittinger. I learned alongside my father to understand and love passionately the Champagne and its region. My father taught me the tools that I use to build my own legacy. If he had given me recipes, they might have been useless! Along with time, the wines and the soil change. [But] Following the captain isn’t the same thing as being the captain. I now elaborate modern and innovative special cuvées with my son Ferdinand." says Virginie, whilst Ferdinand who has now notched a decade in the business under his belt reflects that "Personally, I can’t remember a life without champagne. From a very young age I would wander through the pits of Maison Taittinger,... I was [just] 6 weeks old when I tasted Champagne for the first time. Not a glass, but simply a finger of Champagne! [Ultimately] It’s important to realize that this is my life’s work, and that I’m making decisions not for myself but for future generations. I’m learning and will continue to learn until my last breath. Each harvest, each wine, each parcel evolves with the times and never tells the same story twice."

The Cube in Verzenay.

By 2024, the mother and son duo would after a decade outgrow their Sillery outpost, and move into their new Verzenay premises, called The Cube, today using a combination of estate grown fruit and that from Grand Cru and Premier Cru growers, with their cuvees focused on Pinot Noir from Verzenay, Verzy and Mailly in the Montagne de Reims, having even acquired their own vines in the first two Grand Crus, and also Chardonnay from Cramant and Mailly in the Cote Des Blancs.

"I’m not sure if I was naïve, but I didn’t realise how difficult it would be. Maybe it’s good, because if you knew everything beforehand, you’d do nothing. It was a big adventure to take this crazy decision! We need courage and little naivety. But courage is essential, otherwise you don’t take the leap of faith. But the first obstacle is me. In a way, the presence of my son [Ferdinand] reassures me. I knew I could help him create the maison de Champagne of tomorrow. Because today I am passing on to my son Ferdinand the courage, the sense of entrepreneurship and the passion for Champagne that my father, Claude, taught me for over 21 years at Champagne Taittinger." says Virginie! 

With that said, let's get on to trying a selection of Virginie T's Champagne cuvees! This was all featured by Fermented.sg during a Fete de la Saint Vincent Champagne Tasting Trail that was put together by Champagne Everyday, whose regularly putting together really splendid Champagne tastings and is member's club that's a definite must join for Champagne lovers - Lucy (@champagnenerd) who runs the club always pays special attention to securing some incredible allocations that you can only pick up right from her! And of course, casting a light on to Fermented.sg, they've got a great and wide selection of up and coming producers, many of whom are well on their way to super-stardom - run by incredibly passionate folks, also a definite must check out if you're into boutique producers with big personalities!

Let's go!

Wine Review: Champagne Virginie T Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut

Made with 100% Chardonnay from Cote des Blancs Grand Crus (Avize, Oger, Cramant and Chouilly) and Villers-Marmery Premier Cru, this is aged on the lees for at least 5 years in 90% Stainless Steel and 10% oak, with 60% malolactic fermentation. Dosage here is 4gr/L.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: Perfumed and supple, opening with bouquets of elderflower and freshly harvest pears amidst a body of rich doughiness. Light drizzles of honey too. It's evocative of countryside meadows, rendered with good depth and plushness.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, it's honeyed with accompanying idyllic notes of white jasmine flowers, jasmine tea, green pears, with also doughy brioche. It's again plush whilst still demonstrating a backbone of tension for balance. The acidity here is soft and gentle.

Finish: Those green pears and jasmine florals carry through with good concentration and richness through the finish, ending off with a firm savouriness of bruised pears.

My Thoughts

A very elegant and eloquent Blanc de Blancs, this is easygoing yet stylish, with a subtlety of its actual underlying complexity. It's very aromatic, with great fragrance and perfume that has the stamina to carry through the entire tasting experience, and is very satisfyingly accompanied by that plush richness of its body that allows it to glide seamlessly and effortlessly. It's incredibly appealing and beguilingly enjoyable, without having to be the center of attention, yet at the same time, if you do find your curiosity piqued, it does offer a good depth and dimensionality for you to explore. Rather than the bracing or high acidity style that may be alittle more divisive, this is well balanced and evocatively idyllic. This would go great with a cheeseboard or a creamy dessert.

Wine Review: Champagne Virginie T Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Extra Brut

Made with 100% Pinot Noir from the Grand Crus of Montagne de Reims (Verzenay, Verzy and Mailly-Champagne), it is aged for a minimum of 6 years on the lees in 100% stainless steel with 100% malolactic fermentation. The dosage here is 5gr/L.

This is the 2018 vintage.  

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: Big on that supple doughiness right from the get go, here accompanied by vibrant notes of purple florals, or irises and violets, with also a richness of savoury bruised apples. Really perfumed and aromatic!

Taste: Medium-bodied here, really plush, with a good richness and firmness. The acidity is bright but polished, the body filled in with honeyed baked apples with just a slight savouriness of bruised apples that counterbalances the richness. Also some brambly plums and prunes at the back.

Finish: That big doughiness makes a return, here with knobs or cold butter, accompanying that persistence of rich and supple baked apple and pears, with that bit of bruised apple savouriness. It's seamless and plush through the finish, with a light lingering savouriness and doughiness.

My Thoughts

A really fun and engaging Blanc de Noirs that is polished and immediately vivid, with an emphasis on flavour forwardness. At the same time, that longer lees ageing quality still comes through really nicely, offering up those bounties of doughiness superbly on the nose and the finish - perhaps even more intensely on the finish! Beautiful bouquets of purple florals on the nose, with also a very satisfying richness and saturation of baked orchard fruits filling in the body. Seamless texture with bright and polished acidity, and great verve that carries all these flavours through the experience.

Wine Review: Champagne Virginie T Millesime Brut Nature

A blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay (85% Premier and Grand Cru), this is aged for 6 years on the lees in stainless steel with 70% malolactic fermentation. No dosage here (0gr/L). 

This is the 2018 vintage.  

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: Fragrances of elderflower and pears that's then backed up by floury doughiness with a touch of cold butter. Very idyllic and vividly evocative, rendered in an aromatic pillowy plume.

Taste: Medium-bodied, plush and rich body filled in with honey over pears, with still that doughiness carrying over. The minerality here is more prominent, with mineral spring water and an accent of chalkiness, leading into a savouriness of bruised pears. The acidity here is gentle.

Finish: Plush right through the finish, honeyed, with lots of bruised pears that bring about a gentle savouriness, rounded out by supple and soft doughiness.

My Thoughts

Bringing more power and definition here, this feels that much more forward and also at the same time showcases the minerality most prominently, yet retains a really enjoyable plushness that's packed with those doughy, buttery qualities of longer lees ageing. It leans alittle more savoury here, yet still shows a delicate and elegant touch without any heavy handedness. This is so far the most concentrated, with the flavours most bold and really pushing at the seams.

Wine Review: Champagne Virginie T Equilibre Premier Cru Extra Brut

Named after the desire for balance between Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, this is true to form 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay - 100% of which is Premier Cru, this has been aged for a minimum of 5 years on the lees in 100% stainless steel with 100% malolactic fermentation. The dosage here is 5gr/L.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: Super aromatic, completely profuse with doughiness and cold butter. Really impressive depth and vividness!

Taste: Medium-bodied here, really plush body showing baked pears, elderflower, doughiness, wrapping around a core of honey. The acidity is softened, with a great richness and a velvety texture.

Finish: Taking a more savoury turn here, still guided by that honey, with more floury doughiness here and some chopped up almonds. Some chalkiness emerges into the finish.

My Thoughts

The Equilibre feels more concentrated and saturated, with a more narrow palette, working with fewer flavours but each painted upon with more depth. They therefore feel more spaced out, with the acidity softened and the body incredibly plush. More complexity comes through towards the finish, where some nuttiness and chalkiness come through. This certainly has the body to hold its own with something like a seafood meal or dessert!

Wine Review: Champagne Virginie T Transmission Rose Brut

Given Virginie's lineage in Champagne, as well as working together with her son, Ferdinand, the theme of transmission - of craftsmanship - is a big one with the maison. This is 55% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, with 5% Grand Cru Coteaux Rouge (a still red wine), that comes from 75% Premier and Grand Cru. It's aged for 5 years on the lees, in 90% stainless steel and 10% oak barrels, with 50% malolactic fermentation. The dosage here is 7gr/L.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Salmon

Aroma: Blossoms of jasmine flowers coupled with bramble scents of raspberries, blackberries and wild strawberries. It's perfumed with a light and fresh grassiness, a slight savouriness, with still that supple doughiness.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, plush, filled in with dark and red fruits of blackberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, giving some red fruited savouriness and grassiness, almost akin to bruised strawberries. This is laden over a bed of creaminess of vanilla that wraps around the more concentrated fruit core.

Finish: That grassy bramble carries through, creamy and rich through the finish, holding all the way that supple plushness.

My Thoughts

Very pleasant Rose that's lush and creamy, with lots of fruitiness that's juicy and concentrated, which makes for a very accessible and friendly pick! There's still some of that freshness and rusticity of grassiness and savouriness which gives it an edge without divisiveness. Fragrant in aromatics, that rich plushness carries all the way through the finish. This is a Rose that's rounded, with more body, yet shows balance, led by all of that brambly fruitiness.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot