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

Justine Puaud 4/22/22 Justine Puaud 4/22/22

What's Pressoir Drinking - Easter in Alsace

by Justine Puaud
Thursday, April 21, 2022

Easter in Alsace

Living in France, I have the opportunity to visit all the different wine regions I love through their wines but never visited before. The region of Alsace was on my top list to discover this year. It is only 2-3 hours from Burgundy and it is such a unique and beautiful region. We have a huge diversity of landscapes in France in such short distances. I really thought I was in a different country for the weekend even if I only drove 180 miles.

The Route des Vins (wine route) between Colmar and Strasbourg passes through a string of picturesque villages, exceptional landscapes and castles built in the 12th century.

Last Saturday, we visited Domaine Weinbach. This estate is located in Kaysersberg, in the Schlossberg’s hill, one of the oldest and very recognized Grand Crus in Alsace. Built by the Capucin monks in 1612, the vineyards are mentioned for the first time in the year 890!

After the death of Théo Faller in 1979, his wife Colette and her two daughters, Laurence and Catherine, built with passion - in the masculine world of wine - one of the most prestigious estates in Alsace. They formed one of the most famous female trios of the French vineyard.

Laurence had the power to breathe a new life into the estate in the 2000s. She was talented enough to refine and reveal an amazing style of their terroirs which places their wines at the top. She tragically passed away in 2014 followed by her mother Collette one year later. Catherine Faller is now managing the estate with her sons Eddy and Theo.

Domaine Weinbach owns an area of 30 ha, cultivates a majority of world-renowned Rieslings, as well as Sylvaner, Pinot and Gewurztraminer. Their Riesling "Schlossberg" had been the first Grand Cru classified in 1973, among the 51 Grands Crus of the region.

The Grand Cru Schlossberg benefits from exceptional natural conditions, granitic rock with shallow sandy soils, a southern orientation and a steep slope ensuring optimal sunshine. This granitic terroir gives Riesling finesse and elegance combined with a very pure fruitiness.

I was really impressed with the quality of the Pinot Noir. When you think about Alsace you always think about white wine, Riesling and Gewurztraminer, but they also make elegant Pinot Noir.

We tasted the Pinot Noir cuvées from the terroir of Schlossberg. In Alsace, wines made from the Pinot Noir grape variety are not authorized to be called Grand Cru - this designation being reserved only for white grape varieties called "noble" which are Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurtztraminer and Muscat. An INAO commission is in the process of changing this. The Covid situation has slowed down the ongoing process, and this should be in place as early as next year.

Edouard Bourgeois 8/5/20 Edouard Bourgeois 8/5/20

News from the Vineyard

7/28/20

Source: The New York Times

July 28, 2020

Read the full article from the New York Times here

Like other wine regions, the beautiful and sunny Alsace, producing signature aromatic and sometimes exuberant white wines, is suffering from the double impact of Covid-19 and the US tariffs. The reduced sales that resulted increased the stock of wine and with the precocious harvest in sight, it is time to simply “make space” for the new 2020 grapes at the wineries. Since the demand is extremely low, some producers are forced to distill their precious wines. The whole region of Alsace will send 1.5 million gallons of wine to the distillery. A sad reminder of what happened in 2009 after the economic crisis. The financial and psychological repercussions are particularly challenging in this region, famous for its very charming architecture and rich gastronomy.

Besides a small amount of monetary help from the government for this “distillation crisis”, one can find a positive note, since the distilled wines will help produce useful hand sanitizing gels.