2002 - Bollinger, La Grande Annee Rose

(63% pinot noir and 37% chardonnay) Light orange. Heady, intensely perfumed bouquet of dried red berries, singed orange, Asian spices and potpourri. Dry, precise flavors of tangy citrus fruits and candied flowers, along with a strong mineral undertone. Impressively pure rose with strong finishing cut, lingering spiciness and outstanding persistence. Most people assume that pink Champagne won't age but I'd bet on this one being even better in five years. Or even later. (Incidentally, I also tasted the 2002 La Cote aux Enfants Coteaux Champenois, which is Bollinger's 100% pinot noir bottling and provides the red wine base for this bottling. It's a dead-ringer for a great Morgon, with an intense mineral core and vibrant dark berry and bitter cherry fruit character. Unfortunately it is also very rare, coming from a vineyard that is less than a hectare in size. A single bottle also costs about as much as six bottles of top-drawer Morgon too. But what price rarity?)