(sale price $64.99)

A bracing glass of Champagne hits the perfect note, and the razor dry and wonderfully crisp Taittinger Brut La Francaise is the penultimate aperitif as its lean, brisk flavors of citrus and pear whet the appetite for repasts to follow. Elegant and refined, it conveys at once a message of quiet sophistication with old world appeal while providing an exciting preface for the evening to come.