Deep gold already. Warm, full, rooty scents, with apple-orchard fruit; a nutty note, too. On the palate, this blend of 70 per cent Pinot Noir with 30 per cent Chardonnay offers rich, masculine, smoky fruits, multilayered and impressively aromatic. The fine quality of the Giraud vineyards scattered over the Aÿ hills has really come good in this big beast of a Champagne: grippy, pure, rigorous, driving, vinous and deep.

The finish, almost unexpectedly, turns on the charm: it's honeyed, almost glycerous. Overall, a smoother and more seamless Champagne than the 1993, tasted on the same occasion. Giraud's pricing is hugely ambitious -- this wine sells at 130 euros at the cellar -- but it merits comparison with most cuvées de prestige (and is better than the disappointing minority).