1 · Opening
Founded by Jacques Fourneaux in 1734, five years after Ruinart. It carries the name of Pierre Taittinger, who bought it after the First World War.
2 · Why it matters
Its cellars are the crypts of the thirteenth-century Abbey of Saint-Nicaise, destroyed in the Revolution — a house doing business inside the foundations of a building that no longer exists.
It is also the practical answer to a question this group raises: of the great houses, Taittinger and Pommery are the ones that publish booking slots online. Receiving is either a policy or a gesture, and publishing a calendar is how you tell which.
3 · Signature & ritual
Comtes de Champagne, the Château de la Marquetterie at Pierry, and Vitalie Taittinger as president from 2019 — the family back in control after a private equity interlude.
4 · What this house does not solve
The house was sold to Starwood Capital in 2005 and bought back by the family in 2006. Continuity here is a recovery, not an unbroken line.
1734 is the founding of Fourneaux's business; the Taittinger name dates from 1932.
⚑ Some accounts date the family's purchase to 1931 and others to 1932.
5 · LHL connections
- LHL-S-201Maison RuinartFounded five years earlier; the two oldest houses in Reims.
- LHL-S-205Champagne PommeryThe other house that publishes its booking calendar.
6 · Timeline
- 1734Jacques Fourneaux founds the house.
- 1932Pierre Taittinger gives it his name ⚑ 1931 in some accounts.
- 2005Sold to Starwood Capital.
- 2006Bought back by the family.
- 2019Vitalie Taittinger becomes president.
7 · LHL story
“Publishing A Calendar” — Receiving is either a policy or a gesture. Publishing booking slots is how you tell which.
Sources
What the entry rests on. Each reference records the specific facts it supports, so a disputed line can be traced to the account it came from.