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 12/8/21 Edouard Bourgeois 12/8/21

Recap of our Pressoir.wine Right Bank Bordeaux Dinner

What’s Pressoir drinking

by Edouard

12/8/21

December 8, 2021
by Edouard Bourgeois

As a Burgundy lover, I always felt particularly charmed by the round and polished style of the wines from the Libournais, also known as the right bank of the Bordeaux region. With Merlot starring as a soloist or at the very least as the main actor in the blend, the wines typically have fewer sharp edges than the more herbaceous Cabernet Sauvignon of the left bank, particularly those of the famous Médoc.

Last Thursday, we were honored to host our Bordeaux dinner at Francie. The Brooklyn restaurant, opened not even a year ago and already a foodie destination, put together a feast focused on meat dishes, including their signature aged duck and one of the best côte de boeuf a carnivore could imagine. The lineup of twelve wines, evenly split between the Pomerol and Saint-Emilion appellations, delivered an impressive performance, despite their age. The oldest wine was a superb 1964 Château Beauséjour from the Saint-Emilion appellation, whose eponymous town and surrounding vineyards was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other highlights for me were the Chateau La Conseillante Pomerol from the challenging 1979 vintage. A suave and graceful wine in which Merlot was spiced up with just enough Cabernet Franc to reach impeccable balance. Still in the Pomerol vicinity, I really enjoyed the side-by-side comparison of Châteaux Trotanoy and Vieux Château Certan from the same 1985 vintage. The former displayed a slight austerity at first while the latter VCC held your hand to enter a wonderful world, filled with scents of ripe plums and dark chocolate, with earthy notes of tobacco swirling in the air.

In Saint-Emilion, the exquisite bottle of Cheval Blanc 1988 certainly won my heart. Perfection comes to mind when trying to describe it. A wine at its peak, mature but lively and proud. We closed that impressive tasting with a bottle of Pavie from the same 1988 vintage, now ranked alongside Figeac, Cheval Blanc and Ausone in the top “A” category of the Saint-Emilion classification. I still can’t believe how youthful this wine was. Despite decanting the wine a couple hours prior, it was still gasping for oxygen to develop its full, impressive potential.