Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger of Champagne Taittinger
Nashville Wine Auction is excited to welcome Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, President of Taittinger, to Nashville for the 34th Annual l’Eté du Vin. Son of Jean and Corinne Taittinger and grandson of Pierre Taittinger–the founder of Champagne Taittinger–Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger joined the family business in 1976 and is now head of Champagne Taittinger and chairman of Domaine Carneros, Taittinger’s California sparkling wine partnership.
A graduate of the Centre de Formation aux Affaires of the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce in Reims, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger completed his business education with a Master’s degree in Business Administration. He is married with three children.
Champagne Taittinger is one of the few remaining family owned and operated Champagne houses in France. The firm is distinguished for its extensive vineyard holdings of 752 acres, including prestigious Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims regions. Unlike most large houses, Champagne Taittinger relies primarily on estate grapes for its portfolio of Champagnes. Also unique are the higher proportion of Chardonnay in its wines that gives Taittinger its signature style, and the time devoted to aging the wines before release—most often greatly exceeding the legal requirement, in a practice that also has become a Taittinger hallmark.
Martine Saunier of Martine’s Wines, Inc.
The first woman to establish a wine importing company in the United States, Martine Saunier founded Martine’s Wines Inc. in 1979. Nashville Wine Auction is excited to welcome Martine Saunier to the 34th Annual l’Eté du Vin.
Martine is an importer, wholesaler and distributor of many exceptional Burgundies, although she brings in wines from almost all regions of France, as well as from the Douro Valley in Portugal, Sierra de Francia in Spain, and Austria. Some notable Burgundy, Rhône and other wine estates she represents are: Domaine Leroy and Domaine d’Auvenay; Denis Mortet; Emmanuel Rouget; Perrot-Minot; Bruno Clavelier; Michel Gay; Patrice Rion; Charles Audoin in Marsannay; Danjean-Berthoux in Givry; Michel Morey-Coffinet; Jean-Marc Brocard and Patrick Piuze in Chablis; Dominique Cornin; Bernard Burgaud in Côte-Rôtie; Gilles-Robin in Crozes-Hermitage; Georges Vernay in Condrieu; Château des Tours; Château Rayas; Domaine du Pégau; Féraud-Brunel; Champagne Diebolt-Vallois; Champagne Gonet-Médeville; Champagne Stéphane Coquillette; Champagne Saint-Chamant; A. Edmond Audry Cognac; Rémy Gresser in Alsace; Berthet-Bondet in Jura; Louis Metaireau in Muscadet; Vincent Carême in Vouvray, Château Gilette in Sauternes; Clos Uroulat in Jurançon; Château du Cedre in Cahors; and Niepoort in Portugal, to name a few.
In addition to her imported wines, Martine distributes Ken Wright Cellars, one of Oregon’s top producers of Pinot Noir.
Nicolas Glumineau of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Nicolas Glumineau, formerly of Château Montrose, will now have overall responsibility for all the Louis Roederer Bordeaux properties – Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Château de Pez, Château Haut Beauséjour and Château Bernadotte.
For many wine lovers, at its best, Château Pichon Lalande is one of the best examples of Bordeaux wine from Pauillac. Sensuous textures, deep concentrated layers of ripe fruit and a perfume filled with earth, tobacco and cassis are what you’ll find in Pichon Lalande.
Dating back to the 17th century, the history behind Château Pichon Longueville is a long one starting with Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan responsible for forming many of what are now widely considered the top Bordeaux wine producing properties today. The vineyards Pichon Lalande earned its name years later when Thérèse, daughter of the founder, received the estate as a dowry when she married Jacques de Pichon Longueville. Château Pichon Lalande remained unaltered and in the hands of one single family for more than 250 years, up to the French Revolution.
Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville succeeded his mother and took over Pichon Lalande when he was only 19 and continued until his death at 90. During this time Pichon Lalande earned the coveted Second Class designation in the 1855 Classification.
The estate was eventually divided and ended up making two very different styles of Bordeaux wine from Pauillac. That is still the case today. Virginie, the wife of the Count of Lalande took over the management of the estate under the name of Comtesse de Lalande.
Without heirs, Château Pichon Lalande was finally bought in 1925 by the Miailhe brothers, descendants of Bordeaux property owners and wine-brokers. In 1978, ownership passed to May Eliane de Lencquesaing, Edouard Miailhe’s daughter, and for almost 30 years, she ran the family estate in person, and under her management the cru took on a new dimension.
May-Eliane de Lencquesaing sold Pichon Lalande to the owners of Roederer Champagne house in January 2007. This family-run company is managed by Frédéric Rouzaud and owns several other wine estates in Bordeaux: Château Bernadotte - Château de Pez and Château Haut Beausejour and Château Réaut la Gravière. Château Bernadotte was sold in December 2012.