PR 90-20, Champagne Henri Giraud
Champagne, France
“The Architecture of Time”
Brilliant gold with a fine, steady mousse, R 90-20 is Champagne suspended in time, a seamless blend of decades, vintages and Grand Cru terroir. Aromas of ripe pear, grapefruit zest and white flowers lift from the glass, followed by notes of brioche, candied citrus and chalk. The palate is expansive yet focused with layers of orchard fruit, citrus oil and pastry cream woven together by taut acidity and a whisper of spice. Silky, vinous and endlessly persistent, it finishes long and mineral, carrying the quiet gravity of its lineage.
For when: you want Champagne that feels like a conversation between generations.
Pairs with: poached turbot, truffle risotto, or a perfectly aged Comté.
If this wine were an idea, it’d be time itself - measured, elegant, and infinite.
R 90-20 embodies Henri Giraud’s “Perpetual Reserve” philosophy - a living solera that compresses time and place into one cuvée. Composed of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, it draws one-third from the Grand Cru solera begun in 1990 and two-thirds from the legendary Esprit Nature reserve dating to the 1950s. Fermented and aged exclusively in Argonne oak barrels, the wine achieves a perfect equilibrium of texture and tension, oak and mineral. It’s Champagne not defined by a year, but by a continuum - an elegant meditation on time, terroir and the enduring artistry of Aÿ.
Whats in the bottle
80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay
Notable Awards
96/100, James Suckling, Aug 2024
“This has so much energy and vivacity and refined, vinous character. It’s dry and focused with notes of bread crust, grapefruit, dried orange, chalk and a hint of clove. All about the tension. Long and tightly wound. 80% pinot noir and 20% chardonnay. One-third perpetual reserve of cuvee MV and two-thirds perpetual reserve of cuvee Esprit. Disgorged December 2023. Dosage 5g/L.”