Taittinger Brut Prestige Rose NV

Last night I had a wonderful meal at Picholine on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The meal and the company could not have been better, making it one of the best fine dining experiences of my life, save for when I cook. If you have the opportunity to go there, do it and start by asking for an assortment of cheese and some wines by the glass for a tasting and pairing. You won't regret it. Given that Valentine's Day is drawing near, it seemed the perfect start to the meal would be a pink Champagne. Picholine was offering the Taittinger Brut Prestige Rose by the glass - a bottle retails for about $50. Taittinger also produces a vintage rose for about $180 a bottle. The shade of pink was difficult to observe in the dimly lit restaurant, but seemed right. The bubbles, however, were so "fine" as to be almost non-existent with essentially no mousse. Since the wine was offered by the glass, this may have been a symptom of a bottle opened hours earlier, but the result was a disappointed Princess, who felt this Champagne was "entertaining," but she "wouldn't seek it out." The flavors of the wine were generally light, tending toward the lemony and perhaps under-ripe strawberry. Given other reviews of this wine, I think it warrants revisiting from a fresh bottle.