Tom Stevenson: 42% Pinot Noir, 58% Chardonnay; disgorged 2006; dosage <5g. This vintage produced not only the highest potential alcohol in Champagne since 1959, but also the highest acidity for such ripe grapes. The acidity was not as high as 1996, of course, but the crop in 1990 was even richer in sugar, averaging 11.1% potential alcohol, and for such grapes 8 grams of acidity (12.3 grams expressed as tartaric) was uniquely high. The unspoken truth about 1990 was its late rains. This produced a little rot. Not much, but it does show if given enough time in bottle, and the hype about this vintage was so great before a single grape had been picked that some producers were not as vigilant as they should have been. No such problems here, though, as this was Geoffroy’s very first Dom Pérignon vintage in charge, and there was no way he was going to allow anything to compromise its reputation. With such a high proportion of Chardonnay, it is perhaps not surprising that this vintage shares some of the same peachy character of the 1995, although the 1990 is much richer and creamier with a deliciously smooth and mellow toastiness meandering through the aromas on the finish. Magnum