A Champagne Scandal: Taittinger Heir’s Ex-Lover Convicted in Knife-Wielding Affair
Samira L, the former lover of Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, has been handed a suspended one-year jail term for brandishing a knife and making violent threats against the 70-year-old Taittinger at his family estate in Rheims. She was also convicted of harassing his wife Claire, daughter Vitalie, and another alleged mistress, reports The Times.
At trial, Samira L levied a slew of accusations about her sexual relationship with Taittinger, a man who describes himself as an “aesthete and hedonist.” Following their split, she took a train to Rheims to confront him, wielding a knife and chasing him down the street.
She reportedly texted him, “Had I worn running shoes, I would’ve caught you and killed you.”
Samira L alleged that Taittinger coerced her into a hedonistic lifestyle, marked by Champagne-fueled visits to Paris’s ‘libertine’ sex clubs, among other accusations of a sexual nature.
Taittinger, who repurchased the family company from Starwood Capital for €746 million just a year after selling it, once likened sparkling wine to Viagra. In a 2016 interview with the Irish Times, he stated, “Champagne isn’t just wine; it’s a symbol of happiness, of delicacy, of elegance.”
Nicolas Hubsch, Taittinger’s attorney, said the court found Samira L’s allegations baseless, adding that the six-year affair had “deeply scarred my client both morally and psychologically.”
He told L’Union, “Her claims led to no legal action. She slandered my client to tarnish his reputation and exert pressure. Despite her defense built on slander, the court was not deceived, sentencing her to double the time recommended by the prosecution.”
Taittinger relinquished his company to his daughter in 2020 and currently serves as its honorary chairman. He also presides over the Evremond Franco-British sparkling wine brand, which owns a vineyard in Kent.
