Champagne Taittinger Brut Reserve ROSE NV

Ralph Kyte-Powell writes "Famous house Taittinger is known as a chardonnay-dominant Champagne producer, but to me, this delicious wine makes more of a pinot noir statement. It starts with the colour, a rather deeper salmon-pink than the very pale hue that’s currently fashionable. It smells of strawberry shortcake, crême pat and finely-integrated yeasty and smoky complexities, a great mix of pinot freshness and Champagne maturity. With fine texture, good depth and substance, this is flavoursome yet elegant, finishing with just enough phenolic firmness for balance. A Champagne for food."

The winery writes "Taittinger Prestige Rosé immediately stands out for its intense, shimmering hue whose secret lies in the fact that it is a blend, which is more complex and costly to produce. A quantity of still red wine (15%) produced from the best Pinot Noirs from Montagne de Reims and Les Riceys is in fact added to the final blend, to give this cuvée its unmistakable colour and vibrant intensity on the palate. The high proportion of Chardonnay (30%) that completes the blend brings the elegance and delicacy that underpin Taittinger’s signature style."