When assessing the relative merits of great Champagne vintages, two recent pairings come to mind; 1988 and 1989 on the one hand and 1995 and 1996 on the other. It is a tale of two styles, one catholic and the other puritan, one pure and the other flamboyant. Yet, beyond such simple analysis there is purity in the flamboyance of 1995 and 1989 and no lack of joie de vivre in the wonderfully constructed 1988 and 1996.

1996 goes down in the record books for unparalleled levels of both sugar and acidity in the base wines; levels that would have been too sweet or too tart on their own, but when harmoniously balanced, providing the perfect foundations for superlative wines capable of lengthy ageing. Cool nights and warm days in September provided the key to greatness here.

The 1996 are only now starting to come round, their power and breeding harnessed with a linear grace, their elegance undisputed and evidenced in such contrasting styles as the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne and the Bollinger RD. A great vintage with the prospect of a fascinating and very successful evolution with these, its finest wines.