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?
What’s Pressoir Drinking
By Edouard
5/18/2021
Edouard Bourgeois
May 19, 2021
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 1979
1979: While Pink Floyd releases its now iconic album “The Wall”, the Sahara desert experiences an incredibly rare episode of 30 minutes of snow. That same year, some pristine clusters of Syrah are meticulously harvested on the daunting hill of l’Hermitage. Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, founded in the XVth century and run by the same family ever since, without interruption, is often considered to be “the king of the hill”. There is Hermitage and there is Chave Hermitage, a step above. I have been lucky enough to taste older vintages like this 1979 over the course of my sommelier career. With bottle age, this brooding style of Syrah has the ability to keep an intense personality. For me, olives and black pepper are often the descriptors that come to mind, along with bacon fat. But what really amazes me is how “simply delicious” these powerful wines remain. Another feature that always stuns me is the incredible length on the palate.
The Chave family is a strong believer in blending. If not the grape, then the plots. The well-known Hermitage cru “Les Bessards”, often bottled separately by other producers, represents the base of the blend at Chave’s while other crus such as Péléat, le Méal, Rocoules or l’Hermite play a role in fine tuning the overall balance and nature of the vintage. The domaine also produces an authoritative white Hermitage, the result of a blend of century-old vines of Marsanne and Roussanne. Just like its red sibling, this cuvee is capable of very long aging.
