For many guys, Saint Valentine’s Day presents a minefield of potential romantic disaster – plenty of relationships have floundered as a result of the male party in question failing to deliver the largesse in sufficient style and quantity to satisfy the female party’s expectations. But then there’s always Champagne.

Champagne, with its celebratory effervescence and general air of luxury seems tailor-made for this most tricky of dates. And if you then deliver the coup de romance by making that Champagne a rosé, most guys would assume that they have surmounted this obstacle in girlfriend-pleasing style.

But not so fast. If your sweet has more exotic tastes than are satisfied by an inexpensive bottle of prosecco – and I know many who fall into this category – and if you think your life over the next few weeks might be a little less stressful if you dug a bit deeper into your pocket, then I have the perfect upgrade for you.

I recently had the pleasure of dining with Cyril Brun, chief winemaker for Veuve Clicquot, and among other cuvées he produced something really rather special – the Veuve Clicquot Rare Vintage Rosé 1985 ($120).

The perfect Valentines Day couple.

And, no, that’s not a typo, the fizz really is 25 years old, and just goes to show what wonderful alchemy can happen to fine Champagne with the passing of not just years but decades.

An extremely cold winter in 1985 – 25% of the vines died – combined with a heat wave in July to produce small quantities of super-concentrated, intensely flavored wine. A full 20 years maturing sur lie before being disgorged in 2005 added yet more complexity. Finally, five years resting in the bottle allowed all these amazing elements to merge into a harmony of astounding richness and complexity.

Time has turned the bright pink of normal rosé to pale copper. And the flavor? It simply astounds: soft and round, with absolutely no sharp edges, a complex melody of mushroomy, earthy elements combined with that well-toasted-bread character that Champagne acquires with time. These all worked magically with the mushroom and truffle risotto it was served with, the rich fecundity of the food and the wine playing off each other in a pas de deux of gastronomic delight.

So if your valentine’s expectations run a bit richer than a box of chocolates and a bunch of roses, or you simply fancy a spot of pure Champagne indulgence yourself, the Veuve Clicquot Rare 1985 is the ideal fizz.

***********

To find the Rare Veuve Clicquot near you try www.wine-searcher.com.