94pts James Suckling

Complex and very inviting nose of buttered bread, apricots, orange fruit, crushed chalk and salted almonds. Lovely texture and balance, with layers of fresh salinity and minerality. Medium-bodied. Elegant and classy. Grand Cru fruit. 50% chardonnay and 50% pinot noir.

93pts Jeb Dunnuck

Equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the NV Champagne Grand Crus Prelude Brut is based on the 2017 vintage and comes from the villages of Ambonnay and Bouzy for the Pinot Noir and Mesnil-sur-Oger and Chouilly for the Chardonnay. The same release that I tasted last year, it’s developing nicely and harmonizing, with aromas of toasted almond, lemon custard, ripe orchard fruit, and fresh chalky earth. Filling the palate, it’s full-bodied and powerful, with a driving texture of citrus oils and a long, savory, mineral-toned finish. It displays a nice balance between its ripe fruit and its mineral tone. Drink 2023-2033. 9 grams per liter of dosage.

92pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

As always, the NV Brut Prélude Grands Crus is showing well, revealing aromas of ripe pear, marzipan, brioche, honey and ripe orchard fruits. Medium to full-bodied, enveloping and charming, it’s elegantly suave, with good depth at the core, bright acids and a penetrating, delicate finish. This is a real success.

91pts Wine Enthusiast

There is some fine maturity to this rich Champagne. Its fruitiness shows balance with acidity and toastiness. Drink this attractive wine now

Winemaker Notes

The Taittinger Prélude ‘Grands Crus’ cuvée is made from a blend of 50 % Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir, which Taittinger has selected only from the ‘Grands Crus’ vineyards; the highest rated vineyards in the Champagne region.

Only the first pressings are used, resulting in a perfect balance between the vibrant minerality of the Chardonnay and the strength and structure of the Pinot Noir. It matures for 5 years in the cellars, and retains a distinct freshness, combining sophistication and complexity. Its minerality opens up the nose, before quickly becoming botanical and blossoming out into a fragrance of elderflower mixed with spicy notes of cinnamon. The taste is vibrant and forthright, dominated by hints of fresh citrus fruit. It then evolves into a rounded and smooth tongue. The finish is long-lasting, rich and explosive. This cuvee reveals a superb balance between freshness and an aromatic character.