1996 Wine and Port Vintage
Vintage Summary and Recommendations: Welcome to Vintage Wine and Port’s 1996 wine page. Read on for our summary of the vintage, our top recommendations and region reports, or scroll down to explore all available wines. The 1996 vintage was an excellent year across much of Europe, particularly in France. Bordeaux produced outstanding wines for both reds and whites, including Sauternes, while Piedmont in Italy delivered some exceptional Barolos. Now fully mature, the best wines from this vintage offer depth, balance and developed character, with many drinking beautifully today.
In key regions such as Portugal and Bordeaux, well-made wines from 1996 provide excellent options for immediate enjoyment. In Portugal, aged Tawny and Single Harvest (Colheita) Ports from this vintage are now showing particularly well, offering a reliable and rewarding choice for a 30th anniversary or birthday gift.
Our Recommended Wines from 1996
Scroll down to explore our full selection. If you would like personal advice, please call us on 01425 837177 or contact us.
Top Recommendation: Kopke 1996 Colheita Port A beautifully mature single harvest tawny Port offering exceptional balance, depth and drinkability. Fully aged in cask and bottled ready to drink, making it our most popular and reliable choice for a 30th anniversary gift.
Classic Vintage Port Choice: Burmester 1996 Vintage Port A classic expression of the 1996 vintage, offering structure, depth and traditional character. Now drinking well, while still capable of further ageing.
Best Value: Rivesaltes Riveyac VDN A wonderfully mature fortified wine offering outstanding value, with rich flavours of dried fruits, caramel and spice developed through long ageing.
Fine & Rare Choice: Château d’Yquem 1996 One of the world’s most celebrated sweet wines, offering extraordinary richness, balance and longevity. A truly exceptional bottle for a milestone celebration.
This Year in History: Fun Fact: The Hubble Space Telescope revealed images of Pluto’s surface for the first time.
Eurovision Winner: Ireland with the song "The Voice" by Eimar Quinn
Top Grossing Movie: Independence Day
France: 1996 was an exceptional vintage in France, with outstanding wines from Bordeaux and Sauternes now fully mature and drinking beautifully.
Read full France vintage report
The 1996 vintage produced exceptional wines across much of France and quickly gained a reputation for quality, with many of the top wines reaching full maturity over a decade ago while still retaining the ability to age further. In Bordeaux, it was a standout year for both red and white wines, including Sauternes. The finest red wines, particularly from the Left Bank (Pauillac, Saint-Julien and Margaux), are structured, concentrated and classically styled, with firm tannins that have now softened into elegant, complex wines showing notes of cedar, cassis and spice.
Sauternes also enjoyed an excellent vintage, producing rich, balanced wines with both sweetness and freshness, offering exceptional longevity. In Champagne, a warm, dry summer with long periods of sunshine led to a high-quality harvest of slightly above-average size. The resulting wines are noted for their balance, precision and ageing potential, with many now drinking well while still capable of further development.
Italian: 1996 was an outstanding vintage for Italian wines, particularly in Piedmont, where the best Barolos and Barbarescos are now fully mature and drinking beautifully.
Read full Italian vintage report
A cooler, unsettled summer gave way to warm, dry conditions from mid-September through to mid-October, allowing the late-ripening Nebbiolo grape to achieve an excellent balance of fruit and structure. The best wines are powerful yet refined, with depth, complexity and the potential for long ageing, offering a superb drinking experience today if well stored. In Tuscany, similarly cooler conditions led to a long, even ripening period, producing wines that are richly aromatic, deeply coloured and full of vibrant fruit character.
Portugal: 1996 was a good year in Portugal, producing approachable and fruit-driven Ports that are now fully mature and drinking well, making them an excellent choice for a 30th anniversary gift.
Read full Portugal vintage report
Although 1996 was one of the wettest years on record in the Douro, the region still produced a large and abundant crop. The year was not declared as a Vintage, however a number of good Ports were made, typically showing a fruit-forward and accessible style. Aged Tawny and Single Harvest (Colheita) Ports from this vintage are now showing particularly well, offering a smooth, balanced and reliable option for drinking now.
37 products found.
Chateau d'Armailhac, 1996
Pauillac, 5th Growth classification
Château d’Armailhac 1996 – Pauillac 5ème Cru Classé
The 1996 vintage is widely regarded as one of the great modern classic years in Bordeaux, particularly in Pauillac, producing wines of outstanding structure, purity and longevity. Château d’Armailhac is a fine and expressive example of the vintage.
In the glass, it shows a deep garnet core with youthful brick highlights at the rim. The nose is refined and complex, offering aromas of blackcurrant, redcurrant and plum, layered with notes of cedar, graphite, tobacco leaf and subtle spice.
On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied with firm yet beautifully integrated tannins and vibrant acidity. …
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Price: £99.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Chateau d'Yquem, 1996
Sauternes 1er Cru Classe
Sweet White Wine
Chateau d`Yquem is often described as the greatest sweet wine in the world. After centuries of family ownership, Yquem was finally sold in acrimonious circumstances to Louis Vuitton-Moët-Hennessy in 1999. However, its former owner and director Alexandre de Lur-Saluce remains in charge. Yquem is located on the highest hill in Sauternes and enjoys the best growing conditions in the whole appellation. The 110-hectare vineyard is planted with 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Only fully botrytized fruit is picked by the 150 highly skilled pickers and yields are so low that each vine produces only one glass of wine. …
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Price: £325.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Chateau Kirwan, 1996
Margaux 3rd Growth Classification
"The 1996 Kirwan is a highly-extracted, rich, medium-bodied wine with a deep ruby/purple colour, and ripe cassis fruit intermixed with a touch of new oak, prunes, and spice. The wine has come together nicely since I first tasted it from cask. It appears to be an excellent, nearly outstanding effort. There is moderate tannin in the finish, so give this beefy, rich, muscular wine 6-7 years of cellaring. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #122, Apr 1999
Rating 88/100
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Price: £89.95
Stock: Out of Stock
Chateau Lamothe Guignard, 1996
Sauternes
The 1996 Château Lamothe-Guignard from Sauternes is a beautiful representation of a classic sweet Bordeaux, known for its balance of sweetness, acidity, and rich flavors. This vintage saw favorable weather conditions that allowed for the development of noble rot (Botrytis cinerea), essential for creating the complex, honeyed character that Sauternes wines are celebrated for.
In the glass, this 1996 Lamothe-Guignard shows a rich golden hue, which has deepened over the years. On the nose, it opens with aromas of ripe apricot, honey, and tropical fruit, layered with notes of vanilla, almond, and a hint of spice. …
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Price: £39.95
Stock: Out of Stock
Chateau l'Evangile, 1996
Pomerol
Château L’Évangile, 1996
Pomerol, Bordeaux
The 1996 vintage in Bordeaux is celebrated particularly on the Left Bank, but the best estates in Pomerol also produced wines of depth, balance and longevity. A warm summer followed by a dry harvest allowed the Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes to ripen fully, creating wines with excellent structure and impressive ageing potential.
Château L’Évangile 1996 is a refined and expressive example of this distinguished Pomerol estate. With extended bottle age, the wine reveals a complex bouquet of ripe plum, black cherry and cassis, intertwined with notes of truffle, cedar, tobacco and subtle spice. …
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Price: £185.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Château Pavie-Decesse, 1996
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classe
The 1996 vintage in Bordeaux is widely regarded as a classic, particularly on the Left Bank, though the best Right Bank estates also produced wines of structure, balance and ageing potential. A warm growing season followed by favourable harvest conditions allowed for steady ripening, resulting in wines that have developed elegant, savoury complexity over time.
Château Pavie-Decesse 1996 is a mature and characterful expression of this Saint-Émilion estate. With extended bottle age, the wine now displays a complex bouquet of dried plum, black cherry and fig, layered with notes of leather, tobacco, cedar and forest floor. …
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Price: £69.95
Stock: Out of Stock
Dow's, 1996
30 Year Old Tawny Port
Dows 30 Year Old Tawny Port has coppery-amber tones framed by a pale orange-green rim, this wine has saline scents alongside elegant floral notes and a touch of cinnamon. Luxurious and silky on the palate, Dow’s 30 Year Old Tawny is extremely refined with flavours of quince and citrus and a stylish, lingering dry finish with nuances of tea leaf.
Dow’s Port is one of the most famous names in the Port trade and today is owned and managed by the fifth generation of the Symington family. The family, whose experience dates back over 100 years, supervises all the vineyards, winemaking and ageing of this wine. …
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Price: £89.95
Stock: Out of Stock
Elderton, 1996
Golden Semillon
Colour:
Deep golden amber from both botrytis/late-harvest richness and age.
Nose:
Ripe, sweet aromas of melted butter, tangerine, orange liqueur, honey, and candied citrus with hints of marmalade and apricot. Exceptional purity with a rich, luscious perfume.
Palate:
Sweet and unctuous, with thick fruit and sweetness balanced by vibrant acidity — marmalade, honeyed citrus, dried pear and apricot flavours. The acidity prevents the wine from being cloying and gives it structure even in maturity.
Finish:
Long, juicy and perfumed, with lingering marmalade and candied citrus notes.
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Price: £24.95
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1996
Quinta do Panascal
1996 Fonseca Quinta do Panascal Vintage Port
Quinta do Panascal is one of Fonseca’s most celebrated estates in the Douro Valley, known for producing richly expressive single-quinta Vintage Ports. The 1996 vintage, while not a universally declared year, produced attractive and well-balanced wines at estate level, and this Panascal bottling now shows over two decades of graceful development.
Tasting Notes:
Deep ruby-garnet in colour with the first signs of maturity at the rim, the nose is inviting and aromatic, offering notes of ripe blackberry, cassis and dark plum layered with hints of violets, cedarwood and sweet spice. …
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Price: £89.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Old Penola Estate, 1996
Gewurztraminer Botrytis
Produced by Old Penola Estate in Coonawarra, South Australia, this 1996 Gewurztraminer was made in a botrytised dessert-wine style, an uncommon expression for the region better known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Sourced from cool-climate vineyards, it reflects a small-production, experimental approach typical of boutique Coonawarra producers in the 1990s. A rare surviving example of mature Australian botrytis wine.
Deep golden amber in colour. Intensely aromatic, showing classic Gewurztraminer notes of lychee, rose petal and spice, layered with botrytis-driven honey, marmalade and dried apricot. …
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Price: £49.95
Stock: Out of Stock
Sanford, 1996
Pinot Noir, Rita Hills, Santa Barbara
A long, moderate growing season allowed for even ripening of the fruit resulting in a wine with soft, ripe tannins and wonderful balance. This impressive Pinot Noir offers wild strawberry fruit, cola, clove spice, a hint of black pepper, and just the right touch of toasty oak. Now fully mature, this wine would not benefit from further ageing.
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Price: £79.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Warre's Vintage Port, 1996
Quinta da Cavadinha Vintage Port
*** 91 Points - Robert Parker ***
Warre's Quinta da Cavadinha is one of the finest vineyards (all 'A' graded) in the Pinhao valley, one of the Upper Douro's finest Port-growing regions. In declared vintage years, the best wines from Cavadinha are used as the principal component of Warre's Vintages. In other good years a limited quantity of the Quinta's wines are set aside for bottling after two years in cask. As with true vintage port, Quinta da Cavadinha is bottled without any fining or filtration and therefore should be decanted before drinking. It will also continue to age in the bottle for at least 15 years and often much longer. …
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Price: £79.95
Stock: Out of Stock