Taittinger Champagne: Artist Collection by Sebastiao Salgado 2008

The Taittinger Collection Series was conceived in the late 1970s by Claude Taittinger. Long a patron of the arts, with a passionate interest in the modern schools of painting and sculpture, he perceived a natural alliance between the creation of the artist and the art of the great winemaker. Thus, in 1983, Champagne Taittinger introduced the first of its revolutionary Collection Series, uniting art and Champagne in the design of a special bottle with a laser-sealed sheath that visually expresses the artist’s concept of the magic of Champagne. Featuring the work of artists such as the French surrealist André Masson, American pop artist Robert Rauschenberg, these exquisite bottles are commissioned well into the 21st century, and will perpetuate Champagne Taittinger’s affiliation with the greatest artists of our time.

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 fruit is pressed in the vineyards and the first pressing is transported to the winery for fermentation, followed by a second fermentation in the bottle. Aged for five or more years on the lees, the wine acquires complexity and the fine, pinpoint bubbles characteristic of its sparkle.

This is only the 14th edition of its Collection since 1983, with Brazilian photographer, Sebastião Salgado commissioned to produce a limited edition label for Taittinger’s Brut Millésimé 2008.

Salgado is the first Brazilian and photographic artist to have been selected for the task, choosing to feature an image of a leopard captured in the Barab River Valley in Damaraland, Namibia, in 2005. The bottle has been designed in black with white writing in keeping with Salgado’s black and white photography.

The Taittinger Brut Millésimé 2008 is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (50/50) grapes, mostly from the Grand Cru vineyards of Montagne de Reims, and the borders of the Vallée de la Marne.