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
What's Pressoir drinking - Château la Gaffeliere 1983
What’s Pressoir drinking
By Edouard
1/4/24
Edouard Bourgeois
January 5, 2024
I always like to revisit the great classic region of Bordeaux with older wines like this 1983 Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé of Château La Gaffeliere. I was lucky to snap 24 bottles at auction for a very good price and just on time to celebrate my 40th birthday just a week ago!
These mature Bordeaux from lesser-known chateaux perfectly illustrate why Bordeaux has had such a global reputation for so long. The high proportion of Merlot (around 75%, the rest being Cabernet Franc) offers this caressing structure of refined tannins, especially after forty years. This aging ability is in fact a signature of La Gaffeliere.
Nested between the hills of Pavie and Ausone, Château La Gaffelière sits in a premium spot and the family de Malet Roquefort, who has run the estate with passion for more than 3 centuries, doesn’t fail to embrace it.
According to Bordeaux standards, the total estate is relatively small with about 22 hectares of vines reserved for the Grand Vin produced at la Gaffelière.
This is also a wine that carries a particularly high sentimental value for me since I shared a bottle of that same vintage with two of my friends with the same birth year as mine. This was a very long time ago when we were teenagers. The wine has aged gracefully. Hopefully I have too
What’s Pressoir Drinking
What’s Pressoir Drinking
By Edouard
1/5/23
Birthday Wines
Edouard Bourgeois
January 5, 2023
The end of the year is synonymous with many celebrations for me because in addition to the holidays, I also celebrate a few of my close ones’ birthdays, including my own. Born on December 29 1983, I wanted to revisit the vintage. After tasting so many great wines at La Tablée, I felt particularly inspired by the wonderful Syrah variety which happened to produce structured Syrah in the Northern Rhone, especially for the duo Hermitage-Côte-Rôtie that performed really well. Considered to be the best vintage since 1978, 1983 has given me pleasurable experiences and the two bottles I opened for my birthday last month did not disappoint. That year, June was quite wet in the northern Rhône, but the months that followed were warm and dry, leading to ideal climatic conditions for the harvest.
The first bottle I opened, a Cornas from Jaboulet, took some time to blossom but it had the olive notes and the funky notes from the appellation I enjoy. Yes, it showed its age and I honestly think this bottle should have been drunk sooner, though a very interesting bottle indeed with cassis fruit. The wine remained expressive and alive with slightly fading vibrancy.
The second bottle showed best, unsurprisingly. This Hermitage from E. Guigal offered a deeper colour and more complexity. The intense smoky character laced with roasted plum and bacon demanded the right dish. The sumptuous rack of lamb with rosemary and mashed potatoes we cooked that night proved to be a match in heaven. Just like Jaboulet, Guigal is one of the major producers and negociants of the Rhone Valley. The two not only produce large volumes of wine from the best appellations, they also played a crucial role in improving the image and reputation of the wine region after the punishing Phylloxera crisis, followed by the lack of interest in winegrowing which resulted in abandoned vineyards. In the first half of the 20th century. Guigal’s Hermitage is a bend of four lieux dits, as it is common for the appellation: Beaumes, Méal, Bessards and Hermite. Although Guigal is renown internationally for their Côte-Rôtie trio, also known as the “Lala’s”, this respected producer makes excellent appellations in the Northern and Southern Rhône.
