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 Cooking - Soupe au Pistou
by Victoire Chabert
Thursday, May 26
The traditional Pistou Soup
by Victoire Chabert
May 26, 2022
Today, I invite you to cook the real Soupe au Pistou to celebrate the beginning of summer. It is a great classic of traditional Provencale cuisine. It is a dish that we prepare all together and we enjoy it every year. An easy summer soup, with fresh summer vegetables delicious both hot and cold.
Here is the ancestral and almost secret recipe...
Ingredients for 6 people (we usually make a larger quantity so we can freeze it, it will be just as good)
600 grams (21 ounce) of white coco (white beans)
300 grams (10.5 ounces) of green beans
3 carrots
2 potatoes
2 zucchini
1 onion
2 tomatoes
Tomato concentrate
2 cloves of garlic
2 handfuls of small pasta like ‘coquillettes’
Herbs such as thyme and laurel
Salt and pepper
Grated or whole Parmesan cheese
For the Pistou sauce
6 cloves of garlic
80 mL (5.6 tbsp) olive oil
1 large bunch of basil
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1- Hull the beans, peel all the vegetables, rinse and dice them and set aside. (Do it with your family or friends, it will be less time consuming and more convivial!)
2- In a pot, brown the onions in a little olive oil and add the tomato paste.
3- Place your beans, your coco, your carrots, your tomatoes, your herbs and the minced garlic and fill it up with water. Add salt and pepper.
4- Cover the pot and let it cook on low heat for about 45 minutes.
5- While everything is cooking, prepare the pistou with the garlic and basil in a blender and add the olive oil a little at a time to make it a creamy texture. I like to add a little grated Parmesan cheese to the Pistou sauce.
6- After 45 minutes of cooking the soup, add the potatoes and zucchini and a sprig of basil and simmer for another 20 minutes.
7- Put 1/3 of your Pistou in the pot and set it aside the rest for the finishing dressing. Also keep some of it to serve at the table.
8- 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the pasta and continue to cook. Don't hesitate to taste each vegetable of your soup regularly to check the cooking.
9- Serve the soup, add the Pistou and the Parmesan cheese and enjoy.
In terms of wine, Pistou soup calls for a Côte-de-Provence rosé such as a Bandol or Cassis but you can be tempted by other combinations such as a light dry white or an Italian red!
What's Pressoir Cooking? Lobster and Corn Salad
by Edouard Bourgeois
8/18/20
When by the shore, nothing better than a clean, summery salad. With lobster, of course…
Lobster and Corn salad
By Edouard Bourgeois
August 18, 2020
Lobster and Corn Salad via Instagram @foodsiblingskitchen
During a great weekend close to Portsmouth NH, our friend brought home a full cooler of live Maine lobsters. The crustaceans were amazing served with nothing but a touch of lemon juice, no salt needed, no butter needed! And if you ever have leftover lobster meat, you’ll want to try this awesome salad.
So, first, make sure you have the following ingredients - for 4 people:
2 two lb lobsters- steamed, shelled and chilled
3 ears of corn
6 strips of bacon
2 limes
1/4 cup of cilantro
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup of scallions
1 jalapeno
salt/pepper
DIRECTIONS:
chop the lobster meat in 1/2 inch pieces
grill the corn with their husk. Once cooked, remove the husk and the fine hair, place the corn ears in a bowl and carefully remove the kernels from the cob with a large kitchen knife
cook the bacon strips in a sheet pan in the oven at 450 Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until crispy
juice the limes
thinly slice the scallions
cut the cherry tomatoes in quarters
finely chop the cilantro
de-seed and finely chop the jalapeno (seeds contain heat! beware!)
combine everything in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste
serve as is or in a bun or taco shell
optional: add sliced avocado on the side
TIP: Not sure how to select your ear of corns without removing the husk? Simply pick the corn with the darkest hair coming out at the top. If the hair is too blond, the corn is not ripe enough.
When the sky is telling you to eat more jalapenos…