Vintage 1996

1996 is sharply divided. In Champagne, it produced one of the most structured and longest-lived vintages of the 20th century: northerly winds had dehydrated the berries, and both sugar and acidity reached record levels. Piedmont delivered outstanding Barolo and Barbaresco for cellaring. For Brunello, persistent rain from mid-September onwards stripped the wines of power and structure, leaving an average to slightly above-average result. Along the Rhône, the gap between north and south was wider than in any other year of the series, although a second table reverses the ranking; in the north, acid-driven wines emerged, the best of which are considered fine and elegant, while the south yielded light, early-drinking reds and some very good whites.

Today, the main wines worth drinking from this vintage are Champagne, which required an exceptionally long time to come around, along with Barolo and Barbaresco from Piedmont; Brunello only from top estates, and anyone still holding bottles from the Rhône should open them now. From 1996, we stock the Cuvée Louis, Brut Nature Millésime 1996 from Tarlant in Champagne. Older vintages pass through our hands in small quantities, and the neighbouring vintages can be accessed via the vintage bar below this text.