Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d'Or 1990 with OC

Nicolas Feuillatte – Palmes d’Or 1990: A prestige cuvée at the peak of maturity

The 1990 Palme d’Or from Nicolas Feuillatte is the house’s prestigious vintage cuvée and embodies the pinnacle of this renowned producer’s art of champagne-making. Nicolas Feuillatte, founded in 1972 and based in Chouilly at the foot of the Côte des Blancs, now brings together over 5,000 winegrowers and vinifies the harvests from around 2,200 hectares spread across the whole of Champagne . The Palme d’Or is the house’s flagship champagne and is produced only in exceptional vintages as a vintage champagne .

The 1990 vintage cuvée is a blend of 40 per cent Chardonnay – from Montgueux and the three Grands Crus of Chouilly, Cramant and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger – and 60 per cent Pinot Noir, sourced exclusively from Grand Cru plots . This blend gives the wine a unique balance: the Pinot Noir provides structure and body, whilst the Chardonnay lends elegance and finesse . It was aged for eight years in the cellar, which gives the champagne its exceptional complexity .

The bouquet of the 1990 Palme d’Or is intense and multi-layered: white flowers, sour cherry and pastry-like aromas dominate the nose . On the palate, it is round and buttery, with a full, creamy texture that is nevertheless underpinned by lively acidity . The richness of this great Champagne is primarily due to the Pinot Noir grapes, which are refined by the elegance of the Chardonnays . After more than three decades, the wine displays mature, tertiary characteristics, dominated by notes of nuts, dried fruit and baked apples, accompanied by acidity and effervescence that remain refined .

Expert critics awarded the 1990 vintage top marks: Robert Parker awarded 95 points and praised its exquisite richness and potential to age for another decade . Wine Spectator described it as a mouth-filling, appetising champagne with deep fruit aromas and subtle notes of toast and spice . The champagne has reached its optimal drinking window and is now at the peak of its maturity – an elegant, first-class tasting experience.