It was again a tremendous honour to chair the jury of the Terre de Vins Best Old Vintage Awards, leading the panel of what must be the finest set of nine champagne tasters from nine countries ever assembled!

The line up of 32 cuvées bore grand testimony to the incredible endurance of champagne from the three most spectacular vintages of the decade – 1995, ‘96 and ‘98!

In a magnificent tribute to the diversity of champagne, all three harvests achieved a coveted place among our winners, from champagne houses and growers, in bottles and magnums!

Our tasted fell precisely 30 years after the celebrated 1996 harvest. This heroic vintage was predictably the star of the show, representing almost half of the entries and more than half of our top 20.

1998 proved to be the dark horse, with half of the entries ranking in our top 20.

And from just five entries, 1995 appeared three times in our top 20, including one of the top wines of the day!

Magnums and jeroboams proved their endurance, with more than 85 percent of large formats entered recognised among our winners!

I personally marvelled at the incredible purity exhibited by the finest wines! Absolutely delicious champagnes, with many years of potential still!

It was a humbling and moving moment for me to experience such incredible old champagnes in the presence of my personal heroes of champagne tasting!

And a grand credit to Terre de Vins for orchestrating a tasting so unique that I flew all the way from Australia, just for this!

My heartfelt thanks to the team – and very warmest of congratulations to all the winners!

Stand by for the announcement of first, second and third place winners at The Intercontinental Paris on 20 October 2026.

Top 20 – Alphabetical Order

Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas François 1998 en Magnum (disgorged May-08)

Bollinger La Grande Année 1996

Castelnau L’Œnothèque 1998 en Magnum (disgorged Summer 2026)

Cattier Brut Millésime Premier Cru 1996 (disgorged early September 2026)

Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 1996 (disgorged 2021)

De Venoge Louis XV 1996 en Magnum (disgorged 2021)

Drappier Carte d’Or 1998 (disgorged Dec-15)

Dumangin Le Vintage Premier Cru 1996 en Jeroboam (disgorged Aug-26)

Edouard Brun Œnothèque 1996 (disgorged 14-Jan-19)

Lanson Vintage Collection 1996

Lenoble Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 1996 en Magnum (disgorged Jun-12)

Lombard Collection 1996 en Magnum

Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Collection 1996 en Magnum (disgorged 2024)

Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 1995 en Magnum (disgorged 12-Mar-25)

Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Brut 1998

Philipponnat Clos des Goisses LV 1995 (disgorged Mar-20)

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Grand Terroirs de Chardonnay 1995 en Magnum (disgorged 7-Jul-23)

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Édition Vinothèque 1998 en Magnum (disgorged Nov-08)

Rare Champagne Rare Millésime 1998 en Magnum (disgorged 17-Jun-20)

Ruinart Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 1996 en Magnum (disgorged Aug-05)

My Personal Favourites – Alphabetical Order

Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas François 1998 en Magnum (disgorged May-08)

Castelnau L’Œnothèque 1998 en Magnum (disgorged Summer 2026)

Cattier Brut Millésime Premier Cru 1996 (disgorged early September 2026)

Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 1996 (disgorged 2021)

Dumangin Le Vintage Premier Cru 1996 en Jeroboam (disgorged Aug-26)

Lanson Vintage Collection 1996

Lenoble Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 1996 en Magnum (disgorged Jun-12)

Lombard Collection 1996 en Magnum

Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Collection 1996 en Magnum (disgorged 2024)

Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 1995 en Magnum (disgorged 12-Mar-25)

Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Brut 1998

Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Grand Terroirs de Chardonnay 1995 en Magnum (disgorged 7-Jul-23)

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Édition Vinothèque 1998 en Magnum (disgorged Nov-08)

Rare Champagne Rare Millésime 1998 en Magnum (disgorged 17-Jun-20)