1996 in champagne. what happened?
by Edouard Bourgeois
November 21, 2025
Ratings for 1996 often use words like "exceptional" and "grandiose," with some comparisons to 1928. What made 1996 objectively unique was the high average potential alcohol (10.3%) combined with high total acidity (10g/litre)—figures rarely seen together. As Charles Philipponnat noted, this is a significant jump from the 9.3% potential alcohol common forty years prior.
Acidity and potential alcohol work together for balance, but typically, when one is high, the other is low. In 1996, both figures were high. Bruno Paillard called it a 'naughty boy' vintage due to its unpredictable nature and the anxiety it caused producers while waiting for acidity levels to drop. However, the result for those with patience is "fantastic."
While acidity is key for aging, the true test is time. Over two decades later, the remaining 1996 bottles reveal which producers succeeded. The best examples are still complex and alluring, where the high acidity is balanced by a wide range of aromas, from brioche to stone fruit. Unfortunately, some other bottlings show only residual acidity, resulting in unbalanced and tart wines.
I recall opening a glorious bottle of 1996 Cristal for my son's birth seven years ago; the wine was still vibrant and charged.
Another fabulous example was made by Krug. As Olivier Krug said, "It’s a year where a good house or a good winemaker will make a good wine... It’s a tricky vintage." Other industry professionals have shared similar sentiments, noting that some vintners either opted out of making a vintage bottling or failed to achieve balance, resulting in wines that are already clumsy or tired.
The 1996 vintage often draws comparisons to its predecessor, 1995. These were the last two great Champagne vintages following the 1988, 1989, and 1990 trio. The 1996s are powerful wines; the best combine weight from ripeness with tension from acidity, providing the interest, complexity, and structure needed for long-term aging.
Interestingly, more houses released 1995 as a vintage Champagne than 1996, with a ratio of roughly 60% (1995) to 40% (1996).
Given its unpredictability, the safest bet for 1996 Champagne remains to go with producers you trust.
While looking for pictures of 1996 Champagne on my IPhone, I also found several other wines from various regions where the 1996 vintage truly shone, as seen in images below;jbgories
News from the vineyard - Saint Emilion Classifications
January 7, 2022
By Edouard Bourgeois
January 7, 2022
By Edouard Bourgeois
Does the Bordeaux wine classification even matter?
Since the beginning of my sommelier career, whenever the Bordeaux wine classification is brought up in a discussion, it is always followed by comments on its relevance. What better example than Chateau Lynch Bages, a fifth growth that arguably flirts with the quality of second growths?
There are a few issues with that classification. Emperor Napoleon III imposed the famous 1855 classification of left bank Chateaux. Unlike Burgundy, where the pyramid of crus ranks vineyards, in Bordeaux it is the properties that were ranked among themselves. And besides Mouton Rothschild, no modification has been made since 1855, despite changes in vineyards’ location, size ,ownerships, vineyard management, farming technique etc…
And clearly, knowing that Mouton Rothschild was the only chateau bumped from second to first growth in 1973 is a more useful piece of information for a sommelier exam than real guidance on what vintages to collect.
One would think the situation is different on the right bank, where Saint-Emilion has its own classification which is revised every ten years or so. For the longest time, only Ausone and Cheval Blanc were towering at the top of the heap until Figeac and Angelus joined the VIP club in 2012. A small revolution in the region. I remember meeting Pauline Vauthier of Chateau Ausone around that time of her first visit to New York and she didn’t hide her dismissal of the classification.
Last summer, along with veteran Cru Classe “A” Cheval Blanc, Ausone eventually announced that they would leave the classification, complaining about the criteria for ranking such details as wine tourism numbers and social media-followers…
The 2022 Saint Emilion classification just got released and it is now Angelus that announced it would leave the classification. Note that it doesn’t mean the prices will drop for this wine currently trading at $369 for 2020, the next vintage to be released.
This really just makes for juicy gossip that doesn’t matter much to the real wine enthusiast who will more certainly follow the guidance of critics’ scores than knowing if Cheval Blanc is Cru Classe “A” or “B”…
As I’m writing this, I am remembering the sumptuous wines we opened at Francie during our most recent Pressoir wine dinner. All these Saint-Emilion were singing and I don’t recall anyone mentioning their rank on the classification.