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?
A maturing bottle from dear friends…
Domaine Chapel Beaujolais Villages 2017
by Raj Vaidya
Tuesday, December 15th, 2020
Last week I recapped our Club Member dinner at Daniel featuring the wines of Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg. After the dinner, Chef Daniel was kind enough to invite Daniel, Edouard and myself to have a quick bite and to do a little raiding of the cellar I had the honor of building over the last eleven years. I immediately jumped on the opportunity to taste a bottle I have been thinking about all summer. This was the first vintage of Beaujolais Villages for the Domaine Chapel, a small winery founded in 2016 by David Chapel (son of famed Michelin starred Chef Alain Chapel) and his wife (and my dear friend) Michele Smith. Michele and I worked together at Thomas Keller’s Per Se back in the mid-2000’s and I’ve been buying the wines since the first vintage enthusiastically. This was a chance to taste a delicious, albeit humble wine from the Domaine which has had a chance to mature a bit. Typically Beaujolais Villages is all slurped up within the first year after release so this was a rare opportunity…
The wine had retained its juicy fruit forward mid-palate but had gained in complexity. The stony mineral character had really developed and the wine was distinctly more salty than it showed upon release. Cherry, spiced berries, and a hint of smoke on the palate rounded it out beautifully. And yet it remained true to Beaujolais, and extremely drinkable, as we polished it off in no time!
There are still a few bottles in the restaurant’s cellar, be sure to check them out next time you visit their outdoor (heated) cabanas!