Taittinger Collection Hans Hartung 1986 in Giftbox

Claude Taittinger was a great patron of the arts, and, as such, he began in the early 1980s to commission artwork for the bottles of some of his most exquisite wines. The highly collectible bottle was designed by Corneille, a Dutch artist known for lyrical, colorful paintings that evoke a sense of whimsy through his depictions of birds, women, and cats. According to the importers web site: “The Taittinger Collection Series bottles are released only in great vintages, from a selection of the year’s finest cuvées. The wines are made from Chardonnay mainly from the Grands Crus of the Côte des Blancs, and Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne vineyards.”

The 1986 vintage is decorated by Hans Hartung, a French painter of German origin, famous for his abstract art and inventor of tachism. The blue and yellow brush strokes through the silvery bottom of the bottle and its box could represent the vivacity and freshness of this Cuvée Collection.

Rich, full-bodied and fully mature, the Champagne Taittinger Collection Hartung 1986 offers flattering aromas of yellow and white fruits such as peach and apricot, subtly accompanied by roasted and woody notes, ending with a refined, mineral and saline note.

The Taittinger Collection Series bottles are released only in great vintages from a selection of the year’s finest cuvées.