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Burgundy 1996 Vintage Report:

:by DRC: Burgundy exults in the sun, tempered by a subtle autumnal mist. These ideal conditions, which have been present in our region since the beginning of September and continued throughout the harvest, today transform the hills into a magical picture, where all the shades of gold, red and green dance in the cool October air. In the streets of the village, as far away as in the vineyards, more than ever, we smell the opulent perfumes coming from the cellar and revealing the exceptional richness of the vintage. The winegrower experiences perfect happiness and becomes lyrical! Forgive him: he is not used to such a celebration!

It was in fact to a party that the Burgundian winegrowers were invited. Who could have said at the end of August, when initial gray rot was already beginning to appear, that a month later, we would harvest a great vintage combining quality AND quantity to such an extent! In 1996, Burgundy found itself in a climatic “bubble” which it enjoyed almost alone, while it rained almost everywhere else in France.

As usual, afterwards, when we look back, we realize that this miracle is the fruit of a strange logic, full of meanders, that of the vintage, and we begin to understand the original factors:

- an exceptionally rapid flowering which lasted only a few days around June 15 and ensured both the good quality and even maturity of the grapes.

- the “famous” rains that we experienced with anxiety at the end of August provided the quantity of water necessary to ensure the maturity of the grapes throughout the dry period that followed.

- and above all, a real godsend, the persistent North Wind which appeared at the very beginning of September. It maintained the cold climatic conditions, but also the bright skies conducive to photosynthesis, and, more importantly, dried out and removed all signs of rot.

If today we can speak of a miracle, it is because the rest of the year the climatic conditions were far from excellent: late start of vegetation. April wasn't bad, but it rained a lot and there was a high risk of mold - fortunately controlled in May. The summer was rather cold, without hot weather or rain. Conditions were close to drought, except in late August as described above, as thirsty grapes absorbed the water they needed to ripen.
At that time, the north wind and the drought concentrated the sugars and acidity, which remained very high until the harvest. Faithful disciples of our ancestor DUVAULT-BLOCHET, ardent defender of late harvests, the Domaine harvests the latest harvests possible and won in all respects: the alcohol percentages are superb (exceeding 13° for Romanée-Conti and La Tâche harvested last ) and the acidities, as mentioned above, are exceptional. The wines will therefore be very well balanced.

 

Yields are also exceptional for once - more than 30 hl/ha in almost all wines. We are delighted because, once again, Nature has been exceptionally generous this year in all respects and it was “natural” that we took advantage of it! [Never mind the “piss vinegar” (“grumpy”?) who will not fail to criticize the generosity, however rare, that we have received from the reigning Gods! ].

The harvest began on September 25 (with the exception of young ripe vines harvested a few days earlier) with Montrachet and ended with La Tâche on October 3. The Romanée-Conti was harvested on the superb morning of October 1st.

To summarize, we believe we have a great vintage in the cellars today. The barrels are just being filled; It is too early to determine the level of the vintage or to try to make comparisons with others. We will have a more precise idea in a few weeks, as well as precise quantities. We will then take the liberty of supplementing this report with further information.

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Bordeaux

1996 presents itself as a “classic” Bordeaux year, although – as Jancis Robinson MW wrote – not in the “lean” sense; Although Farr Vintners director Tom Hudson told the drinks industry it may have been a "very good" rather than "really great" year as it was not uniformly excellent across the region .

As a reminder, 1996 was a particularly promising vintage for Médoc wines. The Berry Bros & Rudd website boasts: “This is one of the great post-war vintages for Médoc Cabernet wines. These are rich, complex and beautifully balanced wines, full of ripe, pure fruit and with the structure that will allow the best wines to age over the next decade and beyond.

The Right Bank, on the other hand, is described as “distinguished” but “overshadowed” by the 95s – which was a particularly good vintage for Saint Emilion and Pomerol.

It was also an excellent vintage for white Bordeaux.

Robert Parker's scores tend to favor the Left Bank, although some of the best Right Bank wines have also received very respectable reviews.

Only two wines received 100 points: Lafite and Latour, Margaux was ranked 99, Léoville Las Cases 98, Ducru Beaucaillou 96 and Pichon-Comtesse 96.

La Mondotte was the highest rated right bank wine with 97 points, Ausone was the second highest rated with 93, as was L'Eglise Clinet, while Gomerie, Petrus and Le Pin settled for 92 and Cheval Blanc 90 .

With almost 20 years, the wines have naturally appreciated and now that they are well within their drinking window, demand will almost certainly start to push prices even higher for the most in demand among them.

The figures are often impressive, to date Lafite has seen an increase of 657.9% since its release, its second wine Carruades is up 592%, Latour is up 437%, Petrus is up 400% and Pichon Baron is up 240%. %.

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Burgundy

1996 VINTAGE in Burgundy

Maturity levels were in general high following a long hot summer. The wines from the famous Pinot Noir have an intense ruby red colour with lush red fruit aromas. They are wines that are comparable with the outstanding 88s and 89s. The whites are just as outstanding full-bodied with elegant vibrant Chardonnay fruit and sweet white flower and grilled nut aromas. These are wines that have the potential to age magnificently.

Each harvest we hope for three things, favorable weather conditions, healthy grape clusters and high sugar levels. The 1996 harvest provided all of these. April was particularly sunny and brought about an early bud burst (18th of April). Following this we had what can be described as a flash flowering which leads to good pollination, creating high yields.

Arean had low rainfall levels, a sturdy breeze (which kept rot to a minimum) and a long ripening period. These factors created high sugar levels and good acidity within the grapes. Cloud cover in August, combined with the coldest September on record meant that the sugar levels were exceptionally high and so was the acidity: 12% potential alcohol with 5.5g of acidity for Corton Reds and 13%-14% potential alcohol with 6g of acidity for Corton Charlemagne. 

As a result, most are very pleased with the 1996 vintage. The reds have an intense color, good tannin structure and concentrated Pinot Noir flavor. The white wines are also impressive, containing plenty of rich fruit character, a crisp acidity and are already showing an attractive bouquet. 

 

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Champagne

Up to this point 1996 has been considered a fantastic vintage which produced classic wines; the best since 1990. A long, dry summer produced grapes of record ripeness with record acidity. Some, including myself, question how the 1996s are aging. The wines are generally characterized by a distinctive rather lemony acidity and very good attack, but some wines now seem terribly austere, while others already seem dangerously short of fruit. None of the subsequent vintages are quite as distinctive as 1996, which in the more successful cases should almost certainly be drunk after the 1999s.

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California

Napa Valley 1996 / An unseasonably warm winter with substantial rainfall launched the 1996 growing season with an early bud break. A cool spring was followed by intermittent rain during the May bloom period, causing shatter in many vineyards and reducing the potential crop size. A relatively warm summer with several heat spells speeded veraison and ripening, while a cooling trend in September allowed grape flavors to catch up with sugars, bringing the fruit into excellent balance. Smaller clusters and a light crop resulted in deeply flavored grapes, with the overall harvest down by 20-30%.

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Italia

Italy Vintage Report by Tb: 1996 was an excellent continuation of the preceding year. Temperatures exceeding 30°C at the beginning of June accelerated and balanced the start of the blooming period. The summer growing season enjoyed ideal conditions, in which the grapes were allowed to ripen slowly and evenly. The autumn rains did not present any mould problems due to the cool temperatures. Nebbiolo grapes were thick-skinned, very concentrated and ripe. The 1996 Barolos and Barbarescos are abundantly fruity, supple and robust wines, whose quality is on a par with the 1990 vintage. In Tuscany Chianti and Montalcino enjoyed extraordinary success. Montepulciano did not do quite as well, but producers in Tuscany considered 1996 to be nearly every bit as good as it was in 1995. Starting with this vintage Angelo Gaja classified his legendary single-vineyard Barbarescos and Barolos as IGTs. Gaja said that the reason for doing this was his desire to differentiate his previous modern single-vintage wines from his family’s pride, the traditional Barbaresco, whose importance he wanted to emphasise as his only DOCG wine. The venerable Chianti producer, Castello di Ama decided that from 1996 on it would focus on the production of Chianti Classico, placing less emphasis on its single-vineyard wines, the Bellavista and La Casuccia.

The wines are still maturing very nicely, even if the Chiantis should, in my opinion, be enjoyed soon due to their sheer deliciousness.

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Vintage Report

Ups and downs in Bordeaux 1996:

Large percentages obviously attract attention, but there are some that are not as big as they could be and others that are, or at least appear to be, larger than they should be .

Pavie, Margaux, Léoville Las Cases and Eglise Clinet particularly stand out.

Pavie stands out because, by most reasoned accounts, he shouldn't have done so well, especially after receiving just 84-86 points from Parker - hardly a sparkling score.

The fact that it has appreciated in recent times is almost exclusively due to Pavia's wider success in the secondary market in recent years - particularly following its elevation to 'A' status in 2012.

As Martin Buchanan, head of private clients at Armit, told db this was a wine “traded on current reputation, not original”.

In total it's up 444% since release, releasing at £235 p/c (back in 1997) and now available for £1,280. However, looking at Liv-ex, we can see that it is only in the last five years that the '96 Pavie has really taken off, increasing by 63% and outperforming the other three listed wines in terms of performance, although that it has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months.

What's more puzzling is that three wines with much better scores didn't go as far as they could have.

First let's look at Margaux, a 99 point, which has gone up in price by 168% to £1,200. Not a particularly poor record but a little low compared to its vintage 4, which, by virtue of getting 300 points, is already £2000 more expensive per case.

Then on to Léoville Las Cases, one of the best scorers of the vintage with 98 points, who achieved a 100% increase from £900 to £1,808 p/c. Again, not terrible, but how can a second, almost 20 year old wine with 98 points remain so...affordable? Its 2000 vintage also has 98 points and costs £2,050 p/c.

Then again, LLC tends to be "one of those" Bordeaux estates that, no matter how highly rated, never seems to grab buyers to the point where its prices make headlines.

Léoville Barton is another example from this vintage. Rated 92 by Parker – as good as Le Pin or Petrus – it rose just 89% from £395 to £750 p/c.

Buchanan suggests that there is less "vogue" for Médoc properties beyond the first growths, while Hudson adds that LLC was supposed to be the "wine of the vintage" and suffered from not getting the 100 points that many thought.

Finally, Eglise Clinet, one of the best Right Bank wines of the year and rated 93 by Parker, it only increased by 22%, from £900 to £1,100 for example.

It is down 27% over the past five years and is outshone by lowly Pavia. Certainly, she and Margaux have been doing better for six months.

 

Parallels

Leaving aside the notion of "what all this means" (probably nothing), it's worth remembering that 1996 was, arguably, the 2010s of its time.

The early 1996s were extremely expensive for the time. £950 for a case of Lafite seems almost ridiculously cheap now, but the 1995 came out about £200 cheaper and the 1990 came out at £400 a case.

The three underperforming wines in question were among the most expensive releases of the 96s. Eglise Clinet cost £900 a case on release, LLC £900 (50% more than Haut-Brion at £600) and Margaux was the most expensive premier cru that year at £1,200 a case – only Petrus and Le Pin were more expensive overall.

While in the long run this hasn't hurt their appreciation, wines that start out expensive can take a while to break down and even then they may not go anywhere even with a good rating - châteaux and investors are taking note.

This is probably where Margaux got hamstrung, with Lafite (£100) and Latour (£950 1) at 050 points, both cheaper and creating an 'obvious' situation for buyers and investors because, don't Let's not forget, it was actually in 1995 and 1996 that the investment game began to take off.

Second, 1996 was launched into a wine market on the verge of collapse – and was probably the straw that broke the camel's back.

Much like the 2010s, the 1996s were an attempt to capitalize on a booming Asian market, although in their case it was Japan not China and just as they came out, the market collapsed – although the lull was not as long as the four years that the fine wine market seemed to emerge.

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Rioja/ Spain by Riscal: A selection of varieties have been used in the production of this wine in which Tempranillo predominates with a percentage of 54% compared to other varieties. An analysis of this wine indicates a good balance between the alcohol degree of 13Љ and the acidity of 3.3 with a pH of 3.67. The Barn de Chirel wine appeared in 1986 as the outcome of an experimental production using a selection of grapes from very old vines, of more than 30 years, with a very low yield and high quality. The results of this trial led to the birth of the first of what could be called new age Rioja wines. A wine of very limited production, that embodies the characteristics of the vineyard, the soil and the variety in overall harmony. Since the 1995 vintage, Riscal manually selects the grapes for this great wine with the installation of selection or “trie” tables. Riscal was the first winery in Spain to introduce this system. With BarЧn de Chirel, Riscal sets a landmark in the production of quality wines. Highly successful on the national and international markets, this wine is ideal as an accompaniment to red and white meats, roasts, big and small game, stews, lamb, pork, beef, cured and blue cheeses. The 96 vintage is classified as “Very good” and had extremely dry weather, with sharp contrasts, ideal for the ripening of the grape colour. The colour is an intense garnet with a cherry rim. Intense aromas of toast, caramel and vanilla on the nose. In the mouth it is full, tannic, with a delicate hint of oak.

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The best wines of the 1996 vintage

Name Tb Producer Location
1 Krug Clos du Mesnil 100 Krug Champagne, France
2 Krug Vintage 100 Krug Champagne, France
3 Cristal Vinothèque 100 Louis Roederer Champagne, France
4 Dom Pérignon P3 100 Moët & Chandon Champagne, France
5 Montrachet 100 Domaine Leflaive Burgundy, France
6 Clos du Mesnil Vinothèque 100 Krug Champagne, France
7 Salon 99 Salon Champagne, France
8 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque 99 Moët & Chandon Champagne, France
9 Dom Pérignon P2 99 Moët & Chandon Champagne, France
10 Cristal Rosé 99 Louis Roederer Champagne, France
11 Hill of Grace 99 Henschke Eden Valley, Australia
12 Montrachet 99 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Burgundy, France
13 Millésimé 99 Jacques Selosse Champagne, France
14 Cristal Rosé Vinothèque 99 Louis Roederer Champagne, France
15 Musigny 99 Domaine Leroy Burgundy, France
16 DT 99 Jacquesson Champagne, France
17 Musigny 99 Domaine Georges Roumier Burgundy, France
18 Comtes de Champagne 98 Taittinger Champagne, France
19 Château Margaux 98 Château Margaux Bordeaux, France
20 Lafite-Rothschild 98 Château Lafite-Rothschild Bordeaux, France
21 d'Yquem 98 Château d'Yquem Bordeaux, France
22 Krug Clos d'Ambonnay 98 Krug Champagne, France
23 Harlan Estate 98 Harlan Estate Napa Valley, United States
24 Vintage Collection 98 Palmer & Co Champagne, France
25 Vieilles Vignes Françaises 98 Bollinger Champagne, France
26 R.D. Bollinger 98 Bollinger Champagne, France
27 Screaming Eagle 98 Screaming Eagle Napa Valley, United States
28 Corton-Charlemagne 98 Coche Dury Burgundy, France
29 Dom Pérignon P2 Rosé 98 Moët & Chandon Champagne, France
30 Romanée Conti 98 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Burgundy, France
31 Richebourg 98 Domaine Leroy Burgundy, France
32 Château Haut-Brion Blanc 98 Château Haut-Brion Bordeaux, France
33 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon 0 Philip Togni Vineyard Napa Valley, United States
34 Grand Siècle 98 Laurent-Perrier Champagne, France
35 Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrieres 98 Domaine Guy Roulot Burgundy, France
36 Brut Millésimé 98 Palmer & Co Champagne, France
37 Château d'Agassac 98 Château d'Agassac Bordeaux, France
38 Number 7 98 Kracher Neusiedlersee, Austria
39 Madrona Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 98 Abreu Vineyards Napa Valley, United States
40 Latriciers-Chambertin 98 Domaine Leroy Burgundy, France
41 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 98 Henri Jayer Burgundy, France
42 Nuits-st-Georges 1er Cru aux Murgers 98 Méo-Camuzet Burgundy, France
43 Dom Pérignon 97 Moët & Chandon Champagne, France
44 Sir Winston Churchill 97 Pol Roger Champagne, France
45 Château Latour 97 Château Latour Bordeaux, France
46 Dom Pérignon Rosé 97 Moët & Chandon Champagne, France
47 La Tâche 97 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Burgundy, France
48 Cheval Blanc 97 Château Cheval Blanc Bordeaux, France
49 Pol Roger vintage 97 Pol Roger Champagne, France
50 Comtes de Champagne Rosé 97 Taittinger Champagne, France
51 Barolo Cannubi Boschis 97 Luciano Sandrone Piedmont, Italy
52 Pingus 97 Dominio de Pingus Ribera del Duero, Spain
53 Richebourg 97 Méo-Camuzet Burgundy, France
54 Cuvée William Deutz Rosé 97 Deutz Champagne, France
55 Lafleur 97 Château Lafleur Bordeaux, France
56 Château Haut-Brion 97 Château Haut-Brion Bordeaux, France
57 Chambertin 97 Domaine Leroy Burgundy, France
58 Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé 97 Billecart-Salmon Champagne, France
59 Meursault-Perrières 97 Coche Dury Burgundy, France
60 Chapoutier Ermitage de l'Orée 97 M. Chapoutier Rhône, France
61 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques 97 Domaine Armand Rousseau Burgundy, France
62 Montrachet 97 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Burgundy, France
63 Montrachet 97 Domaine Ramonet Burgundy, France
64 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Vinothèque 97 Pol Roger Champagne, France
65 Chris Ringland (Three Rivers) Shiraz 97 Chris Ringland South Australia, Australia
66 Clos des Goisses Vinothèque 97 Philipponnat Champagne, France
67 Barolo Bricco Rocche 97 Ceretto Piedmont, Italy
68 Musigny 97 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Burgundy, France
69 Barbaresco Bricco Asili 97 Ceretto Piedmont, Italy
70 Redigaffi 97 Tua Rita Italy, Italy
71 Meursault-Charmes 97 Domaine Guy Roulot Burgundy, France
72 Basket Press Shiraz 97 Rockford South Australia, Australia
73 Château Gilette 97 Château Gilette Bordeaux, France
74 Corton-Charlemagne 97 Domaine Leroy Burgundy, France
75 Batard-Montrachet 97 Domaine Michel Niellon Burgundy, France
76 Estate Pinot Noir 97 Mount Eden Vineyards Santa Cruz Mountains, United States
77 Pesquera Millenium Reserva 97 Bodegas Tinto Pesquera Ribera de Duero, Spain
78 Barolo Bricco Rocche Prapo 97 Ceretto Piedmont, Italy
79 Per Cristina Barolo 97 Domenico Clerico Piedmont, Italy
80 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 97 Shafer Vineyards Napa Valley, United States
81 Insignia 97 Joseph Phelps Napa Valley, United States
82 Blanc de blancs vintage 97 De Venoge Champagne, France
83 Fût de Chêne 97 Henri Giraud Champagne, France
84 Barolo Vigna La Rosa 97 Fontanafredda Piedmont, Italy
85 Rare Vintage Rosé 97 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne, France
86 Blanc des Millénaires 97 Charles Heidsieck Champagne, France
87 Cremant de Cramant 97 G.H. Mumm Champagne, France
88 Vinothèque 97 Champagne Henriot Champagne, France
89 Amour de Deutz Brut 97 Deutz Champagne, France
90 Grand Vintage Collection 97 Moët & Chandon Champagne, France
91 Vintage 97 Taittinger Champagne, France
92 Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons Le Mesnil 97 Pierre Peters Champagne, France
93 Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala 97 Poderi Aldo Conterno Piedmont, Italy
94 Chambertin 97 Joseph Drouhin Burgundy, France
95 Meursault Les Narvaux 97 Domaine D'Auvenay Burgundy, France
96 Romanée St.Vivant 97 Domaine Leroy Burgundy, France
97 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon 97 Domaine Leflaive Burgundy, France
98 La Romanée 97 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Burgundy, France
99 Batard-Montrachet 97 Louis Jadot Burgundy, France
100 Richebourg 97 Domaine Anne & François Gros Burgundy, France
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