Taittinger Prestige Rose NV

Tyson Stelzer, The Champagne Guide

With the same dosage as Brut Réserve, Taittinger uses tannins rather than sweetness to balance the mouth feel of its rosé. The result is exceedingly sophisticated, bringing a gorgeous tannin texture to a delicately stylish rosé. It's fresh and young with primary rose petal aromas and a lingering, enchanting palate of soft strawberries and exquisite rose petals. A stale 2007 disgorgement had a distinctly copper hue, lacked primary fruit and finished with roast hazelnut bitterness. With such old stock still lingering in warehouses and no way to identify them (there is no indication of disgorgement date on bottles), I can only recommend against purchasing this cuvée until old stock is moved on. This a disappointing situation as fresh examples are stunning.