Looking for New Year’s bubbles

It's Jan. 2 and bit late to partake in my friend Jeremy's "What they Drank for Christmas, The Mini-Series" but you can go here to see what interesting wines some interesting people opened during the holiday. On Dec. 31, I was planning to pop some Champagne when I read Alice Feiring's blog about "Remedial Bubble Assistance" and realized I didn't really want to drink a bit of Moet et Chandon if there was something more interesting to drink, so I set about searching for, well, something more interesting. During my search, I discovered "Moet" is pronounced "Mo-wett." Although Claude Moet was born in France in 1683, his name is Dutch, not French. My search around town didn't show much promise. Most stores carry the same boring (and safe) line-up: A lot of Moet et Chandon, Veuve Clicquot (certainly a fine champagne but not quite what I was looking for), some Gruet (New Mexico and a great wine for the $15 or so price tag) and, of course, a bottle or two of Dom Perignon. Nice history but the price (like, $179 or so) isn't. After examining and putting back a few others that didn't ring the right bells, I backtracked a bit and found this Lanson Brut Rosé Champagne and bought it right away. I really like rosé sparkling wines and particularly rosé Champagnes. The Lanson, however, surprised me with its reddish-gold color, not at all the pale salmon so often seen in rosé sparklers. This was terrific wine, with a faint hint of dusty roses on the nose and a bit of flowers, mushroom and steel on the palate. The nonvintage Rose Label Champagne is part of the Lanson Cornerstone Range, which I guess means their entry level wines. This isn't a Champagne town, so most stores in Grand Junction stock only the most-recognizable brands and don't venture stocking a wine that might be a challenge to sell. That's understandable from the economics side, but it does little to educate wine drinkers and nothing at all to raise the level of what's on our tables. I found the Lanson at Fisher's Liquor Barn for $31.99. So, what did YOU drink on New Year's Eve?