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

Edouard Bourgeois 10/21/22 Edouard Bourgeois 10/21/22

What's Pressoir Drinking - Domaine de la Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Clos des 60 Ouvrées 1996

What’s Pressoir drinking

By Edouard

10/20/22

Edouard Bourgeois
Octobr 21, 2022

Volnay, the Côte d’Or village whose charm reminds of the wines that bear the same name, is beautifully nestled in the Côte de Beaune between its northern neighbors of Pommard to the north and Meursault to the south. The few houses, home to barely 250 inhabitants, surround the typical gothic church, proudly standing as it chimes the hours going by.

Volnay suggests finesse, the silky mouthfeel and the irresistible bouquet of delicate wild strawberries, rose and griotte cherries. I was thrilled with an exquisite bottle of Domaine de la Pousse d’Or, Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Clos des 60 Ouvrées 1996 tasted last week in Beaune. This wine was the last vintage made by legendary winemaker Gerard Potel. The agronomist vigneron settled with his wife Francoise in Volnay in 1964, the same year he started working at Domaine de la Pousse d’Or. M. Potel had been making wine there until his death in 1997, and his legacy is immense, being among the handful of winemakers who seem to have gold in their hands. Even in a challenging vintage, M. Potel could make a magnificent wine thanks to his magic touch and rigor. 1996, the vintage I was lucky to taste that night, is often known for its high acidity in red Burgundies, but not here. Note that this bottle was tasted after a long day and many other fantastic bottles. That Volnay provided an intense pleasure and perfect drinkability, immediately bringing smiles of delight around the room.

Domaine de la Pousse d’Or, officially founded in 1954 by the families of Chavigné and Lavoreille traces wine growing back to the 4th century and later with the ducs de Bourgogne in 1100. Today, the domaine is in the hands of Patrick Landanger and his son Benoit. Seventeen hectares are organically farmed in the some of the most prestigious vineyards of Burgundy. Among them, no less than seven Grands Crus and eleven Premiers Crus are spread around the communes of Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Aloxe-Corton, Pommard, Puligny-Montrachet, Santenay and Volnay, of course. One cannot miss the large bourgeois house when driving by on the route des Grands Crus.

The domaine proudly owns three monopoles, among them the Clos des 60 Ouvrées I tasted, a vineyard that is part of the 1er Cru climat “Caillerets” in Volnay. The name of Clos des 60 Ouvrées is a reference to its size. If the hectare is the most common measure system for the surface of land, the ouvrée, once used in viticulture, represents the estimated size of land a vineyard worker would cover in one day. Clos des 60 Ouvrées represents 2,39 hectares, almost 6 acres. Although there is no official size to calculate one ouvrée, it is considered that there are 24 ouvrées in one hectare.