Veuve Clicquot. By all means choose La Grande Dame 1990 (about £65; magnums about £130) or Clicquot 1991 (about £36) if you feel like splashing out - but the non-vintage Yellow Label (about £27) is consistently excellent. Hard to beat, easy to find. See Bottles of the Week.
Pol Roger. There's precious little of the super Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 1988 around (Redmonds Ranelagh, magnums £155), but Pol Roger 1990 is a great buy (about £35) and the non-vintage White Foil (about £26) an under-appreciated star.
Roederer. Probably too late to go a-hunting for Cristal 1993 (about £110), even if you wanted to, and there's not too much Brut Vintage 1993 (about £45) from this fine house, either - but you won't go far astray with the firm, crisp Brut Premier NV (about £29).
Billecart-Salmon. Champagne aficionados would stab each other with cocktail sticks to reach this at a party. From an impeccable small producer, both the non-vintage Brut Reserve 2000 (about £24) and the 1991 Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart (about £38) combine freshness with intensity.
Bollinger. Whether it's the assertive Special Cuvee NV (about £32) or the stunning, cask-matured Grande Annee 1990 (about £55, not much left), Bollinger's mouth-filling, toasty style means it's best with food. One for that swanky little dinner.
Alfred Gratien. In the firm, full-flavoured Bollinger mould, because this small traditional house is also among the few to ferment in wooden casks. I have never tasted vintage Gratien, but the current Brut NV (about £34) is very well bred.
Krug. Another gloriously rich, oak-fermented champagne which isn't to everybody's liking (but I'd happily traverse Dublin to drain any untouched glasses). Pounce fast on the multi-faceted non-vintage Grand Cuvee (about £85) or the 1988 (about £100), launched this very week.
Dom Perignon. The jewel in Moet's crown - and even though it's produced in substantial quantities, DP remains a dazzling, fine-tuned champagne. Sad that the 1990 has almost all gone; 1992, a lesser year, is currently in stock (about £75).