Champagne connoisseur/detective needed

[tomstevenson]

With the exception of the first two vintages (1978 and 1981), the wine inside Taittinger's Collection Series is exactly the same as Taittinger's regular vintage, so the premium charged (around 40% in the UK) does not buy you a better wine, merely the plastic cladding. Mind you, Taittinger's 1982 is a lovely, soft, mellow toasty Champagne that has been drinking nicely for a few years now (if it's been well cellared), but should not get much better, so the Millennium is good timing. As Jerry says, don't refrigerate it (until you want to drink it, that is) and avoid fluctuating temperatures (although the plastic cladding provides some insulation advantage over a naked bottle).