Champagne Taittinger is back with another innovation here in Reims: the opening of their new Taittinger Polychrome restaurant! Set to open officially tomorrow, I am excited to share a review from an avant-première press lunch that I attended this week ahead of the official opening. Read all about it below.
Menu
The Concept
The Chef: Charles Coulombeau
My Lunch
Overall Thoughts
The Concept
With the opening of Polychrome, Champagne Taittinger reimagines its historic Saint-Nicaise site as more than a destination for cellar tours. The new restaurant extends the house’s values of creativity, refinement, and assemblage into a space that encourages both reflection and discovery. Even better: guests can book dining experiences independently of the estate visit, and the restaurant stays open on Mondays. For locals and frequent visitors to Reims, that’s a welcome surprise!
Architect Giovanni Pace and interior designer Grégory Guillemin blend architecture and intent with precision. Together, they transformed the former cuveries into a luminous dining room that connects directly to the newly renovated visitor centre.
Inside, colour takes on a narrative role. The name Polychrome, meaning “many colours,” becomes a guiding metaphor. Pastel greens, warm earth tones, and crisp whites evoke the Maison’s vineyards and ancient chalk cellars. Atelier Simon-Marq crafted stained-glass partitions that feel almost topographic, translating the textures and contours of Taittinger’s terroirs into shifting, luminous patterns.
Outside, a seasonal garden gently wraps the restaurant. Designed to evolve throughout the year, it mirrors the rhythm of Champagne itself: rooted in nature, shaped by time.
The Chef: Charles Coulombeau
At the heart of Polychrome is a radical culinary model: the chef-in-residence. Each year, a new chef will take the reins, offering a different interpretation of Champagne and cuisine through the seasons. Leading this inaugural chapter is Charles Coulombeau, Michelin-starred chef and winner of the 2020 Taittinger International Culinary Prize.
Coulombeau’s approach reflects the house philosophy: precision without rigidity, creativity grounded in terroir. Here, he explores the idea of assemblage at the table. Each course is monochrome, built around a single dominant colour and composed of simple, seasonal ingredients. Instead of a wine list, only Taittinger cuvées are served. Unlike standard wine pairings, these dishes are meant to highlight the Champagnes, not the other way around.
But the true innovation lies in interaction. Each plate arrives deconstructed, accompanied by a set of condiments that invite guests to assemble their own dish. It echoes the Champagne blending process itself. Diners becomes part of the creation, making the experience both sensory and deeply personal.
Polychrome invites guests to feel and to experience more than to taste. To see more than eat. It is an artistic collaboration between house, chef, and guest.
My Lunch
First Impressions
After opening remarks by Vitalie Taittinger and Chef Charles Coulombeau, we took our seats at a mix of plush booths and comfortable tables. Each setting featured a beautifully tactile menu, styled like a set of colour swatches, and a ceramic plate shaped like an artist’s palette — a subtle nod to the restaurant’s concept.
The bilingual menu introduces both the Maison and the dining philosophy. Guests can choose from three menu formats: a three-course menu, a four-course menu, and a children’s option. I experienced the four-course version. While full Champagne pairings are available, guests can also order individual glasses. Since this was a press event, we had the chance to taste a broader selection that not always matched specifically to our courses, but were carefully chosen from the wine list.
The Meal
The meal opened with Introductions, a set of four amuse-bouches that showcased contrast and texture. Red tuna with avocado tart (perfect to awaken the tastebuds), nectarine with chickpea foam, a carrot–miso terrine, and a sweetcorn and roasted hazelnut gazpacho (my personal favourite). These bites were paired with Taittinger Brut Réserve en magnum and the lively Prestige Rosé.
The sauces were the stars. Adorably presented in ceramic jars, they were unveiled at the table like a paint set: miso-kumquat, pistachio-leek, mint-smoked yogurt, and infused mustard. Guests were invited to spoon them onto their palette plates and create their own flavour compositions. A playful, interactive experience that put creativity in the diner’s hands.
There are four main course options, including fish and a vegetarian dish. Each plate arrives in a single, dominant colour. I had the duckling with pak choi, broccolini, and coriander, a vibrant green dish that paired sublimely with the yellow-toned miso-kumquat sauce.
I also sampled the cockerel with crab and elderberry (orange), and the summer aubergine (a blend of purple and pink hues). The aubergine was especially compelling.
Accompaniments included bright summer vegetable salads and irresistible golden beetroot chips dusted with citrus powder.
My main course was paired with Folies de la Marquetterie, a structured and elegant cuvée named after the original Taittinger estate. This was my favourite Champagne of the meal.
For cheese, there are two plate options. I enjoyed Plate No. 1, which featured a floral goat cheese, 24-month Comté, and hay-aged Olivet (a soft-ripened cheese related to Camembert). These paired beautifully with the Brut Millésimé 2016. The second plate, which I didn’t try, features a blue cheese and a more richly dosed Champagne to match.
Dessert offered three possibilities. I had the apricot Île Flottante, which was feather-light yet flavourful. I tasted it with three cuvées for comparison: Nocturne Blanc, Demi-Sec, and Nocturne Rosé. The Demi-Sec was the clear standout for me, though the Nocturne Blanc came close.
To close the Taittinger Polychrome experience, we were offered coffee and chocolates before saying our goodbyes.
Overall Thoughts
At Polychrome, the team reinterprets the Taittinger philosophy through colour, texture, and taste. They bring the concept of assemblage to life not only in the glass, but in the space, the menu, and the way each guest engages with their plate.
They give colour meaning beyond aesthetics, using it as a language of flavour and feeling. Through monochromatic dishes and vivid sauces, they merge the visual with the sensory and turn dining into an act of creation.
Instead of presenting something finished, they invite diners to take part in the process. Guests construct, combine, and layer flavours at their own pace. The kitchen balances control with freedom, and a quiet sense of playfulness carries through the entire meal.
They surround the experience with vineyard-inspired glass, chalk-like walls, and gardens that shift with the seasons. At Taittinger Polychrome, guests don’t just drink Champagne — they experience it. In doing so, they bring to life the spirit of this place: a celebration of many colours and many expressions.
