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
Great Well-Aged White Burgundy
August 25, 2020
by Daniel Johnnes
August 25, 2020
by Daniel Johnnes
These days white Burgundy lovers are often reluctant to open a bottle of well aged white for fear of finding it oxidized. In order to mitigate that risk, we open our whites young, too young and rarely get to see the full expression of its grape (chardonnay) and more importantly, its terroir.
This is not a story about ‘premox’. We will save that for another time. And a sad story it is. This story is a much happier one. It is about a recent experience I had drinking a mature (maybe not even fully mature) white Burgundy from one of the iconic domaines in all Burgundy, white or red.
It was a Domaine Ramonet, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes 1978. That is a 42 year old white Burgundy in pristine condition and it provided a rare and emotional experience for me. It reminded me how glorious these wines can be when given the proper chance to develop all the complexity and nuance that they are famous for. It disappoints me as well knowing that because of our fear of premox, few people know what a great mature white Burgundy can become. It is truly one of the great white wines on the planet.
This Ramonet lived up to its reputation and reminded me of the benefits of being patient with these rare and expensive jewels.
It had a brilliant light straw color with a hint of deeper colors suggesting some age but it was radiating flashes of gold, indicating a lively, healthy wine. The moment I was anticipating more than anything was when I raised the glass to my nose to take in its just released aromas after so many years. Like a genie released from its flask, it delivered even more than I was hoping for. It had laser like penetrating aromas of citrus, honeysuckle, gun-flint, from a bit of reduction and smoke. Then, everything was confirmed by the first sip that this wine was leaping from the fountain of youth yet with the wisdom of a more mature wine. This was a treasure to savor and remember and a motivator to seek out the next perfectly well aged white Burgundy.