1996 Champagne – For The Ages<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 1996 Moët &amp; Chandon Dom Pérignon
 
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Moët &amp; Chandon Dom Pérignon
 Oenothèque &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Dom Ruinart 
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Dom Ruinart Rosé 
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Pol Roger Winston Churchill
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes
 Françaises
 
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Billecart-Salmon Le Clos
 Saint Hilaire 
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Krug Clos d’Ambonnay
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1995 Krug Clos d’Ambonnay 
 </td>
 <td>
 98
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Krug Clos du Mesnil 
 </td>
 <td>
 100
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Krug 
 </td>
 <td>
 98
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Taittinger Comtes de
 Champagne&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Salon 
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Roederer Cristal 
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Roederer Cristal Rosé 
 </td>
 <td>
 98
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Jacques Selosse Vintage 
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996 Philipponnat Clos des
 Goisses 
 </td>
 <td>
 96+</td></tr></tbody></table>The 1996 Champagnes continue to thrill with a combination of precision, intensity and structure. The growing season will be remembered for cool conditions that led to a late harvest by today’s standards. When they were first released the 1996s were tense, brilliant Champagnes with off-the-charts acidities.&nbsp;Now that the 1996s are nearly twenty years old, they are starting to soften as they enter the early part of their drinking windows. The best 1996s are just as exciting as they were upon release and will continue to drink well for another decade or two, perhaps longer. Readers who own or can find the top 1996 Champagnes will not be disappointed, as the wines are simply magical. One of the more accessible wines of
the year today, the 1996 Dom Pérignon impresses for its exceptional
balance and class. Lemon peel, white flowers and&nbsp;mint are laced together in the
glass. The 1996 is in a terrific place today where it can be enjoyed or cellared for a number of years. 95/Drinking
window: 2014-2030. The 1996 Dom Pérignon
Oenothèque has really turned a
corner over the last six months or so. When it was originally introduced&nbsp;the 1996 was
hard as nails, today it is an exquisite Champagne that captures the essential
brightness and energy of the year. Lemon, slate, oyster shells and white
flowers stain the palate in an intense, beautifully sculpted Champagne of the
highest level. 97/Anticipated
maturity: 2016-2031. 

The 1996 Dom Ruinart is a wine of pure texture. Smoke, butter, spices,
wild flowers and apricot pit are some of the many notes that give the 1996 its
breadth and volume. The expansive, resonant finish is particularly of note. 95/Drinking window: 2014-2024. A
head-turning beauty, the 1996 Dom
Ruinart Rosé&nbsp;boasts gorgeous, resonant fruit&nbsp;to
match its considerable structure and intensity. Although quite pretty and
expressive, the 1996 has enough balance to develop gracefully in bottle for
years to come. 95/Drinking
window: 2014-2024. Pol Roger’s 1996 Winston Churchill is fabulous. One of the most expressive, complete 1996s today, the Winston Churchill&nbsp;is in a great spot. Butter,
spice, almond and lemon oil notes meld together effortlessly in the glass.&nbsp;In 1996, the Winston Churchill is a clear&nbsp;overachiever. Best of all, it remains reasonably priced vis-à-vis its peers. 95/Drinking window: 2014-2024.

Bollinger’s 1996 Vieilles Vignes Françaises
is utterly beguiling from the very first taste. Hints of white truffle meld
into apricot jam, spices, honey and wild flowers. The 1996 VVF has developed
into a soft, delicate Champagne built on pure subtlety. 96/Drinking window: 2014-2020. One of the most pleasant surprises
of the night, the 1996 Le Clos Saint
Hilaire, is striking. Crushed flowers, mint, autumn leaves and sweet
berries all lift from the glass. Sweet, pliant and generous, the 1996 shows
exceptional balance and purity. I don’t see the 1996 as a super long-term ager,
but it is fabulous today. 95/Drinking
window: 2014-2020.

Krug’s 1996 Clos d’Ambonnay&nbsp;comes across as quite nuanced and
understated, with precise, crystalline fruit and tons of detail. 95/Drinking window: 2014-2024. Thrown
in as a ringer, the 1995 Clos d’Ambonnay
is a real treat to taste next to the 1996. In particular, tasting both
vintages together shows that that 1995 is the more complete of these two first
releases of Krug’s single-vineyard Champagne from Ambonnay. Finely-cut fruit,
expressive aromatics and exceptional textural finesse are the signatures. This is another fabulous showing from the
1995 Clos d’Ambonnay. 98/Drinking
window: 2014-2024.

The 1996 Clos du Mesnil is every bit as stratospheric as it has always
been. An iconic, epic Champagne of the highest level, the 1996 Clos du Mesnil
captivates all the senses with its breathtaking precision and crystalline
purity. The flavors are bright, sculpted and intensely mineral driven to the
core. There isn't too much to add. Put simply, the 1996 Clos du Mesnil is one of the greatest and most moving Champagnes I have ever had the privilege to taste and drink.&nbsp;100/Drinking window: 2014-2036. Readers won't have to spend a fortune to
experience the Krug magic in 1996. The 1996
Vintage is magnificent. A towering, explosive Champagne, the 1996
delivers the house’s signature breadth in a full-bodied, structured
Champagne with enough pure density and acidity&nbsp;to age well for decades. Warm nutty and spiced
overtones add nuance on the finish. The 1996 is just beginning to enter the
early part of its mature stage, where it is sure to remain for several decades. Krug's Vintage is one of the truly epic wines of the year.&nbsp;97/Drinking window: 2014-2026.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1414137753163-1996ChampagneCover.jpg"> 

Taittinger’s 1996 Comtes de Champagne is another highlight. The flavors are only
now beginning to show elements of complexity, a great sign for aging. Gently
spiced and buttery notes suggest the 1996 is about to enter the early part of
its maturity, where it is likely to stay for another decade or so. 97/Drinking window. 2014-2026. Sadly,
our bottle of the 1996 Salon is off.
It would have been fascinating to taste the Salon next to the other Blanc de
Blancs in this flight, but it was not meant to be.

The 1996 Cristal is another highlight in a tasting&nbsp;full of thrilling
wines. Cristal is all about finesse, nuance and understatement, all of which
come through in spades here. Hints of apricot jam and wild flowers are laced
into the soft, super-expressive finish. 97/Drinking
window: 2014-2030. Even better, the 1996
Cristal Rosé blossoms on the palate with magnificent
depth and pure volume. The sense of phenolics ripeness and vinous intensity are
very much evident. &nbsp;Today, the 1996 Cristal Rosé
is utterly captivating for its sensual, enveloping personality and
total sense of class. 98/Drinking
window: 2014-2024. We have bad luck with Selosse’s 1996, as both bottles I
taste are off.

Philipponnat’s stunning 1996 Clos des Goisses rounds out the evening in stunning style. Surprisingly weightless and lifted at the outset, the
1996 blossoms with air, releasing the typical Goisses richness and texture. The
voluptuous, explosive finish is a&nbsp;thrill to experience. Like so many wines of the year, the&nbsp;1996 Clos des Goisses&nbsp;was hard
as nails when it was first released, but it has now begun to move into the
early part of what is sure to be a long drinking window. This is a great showing from one of Champagne's reference points.&nbsp;96+/Drinking window: 2016-2036.

-- Antonio Galloni

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social