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Bordeaux 1988: Tasting, May 2000
Twelve years after the vintage and this tasting, the notes of which are presented below, was my first look in any detail at the vintage. As I have discussed in my summary of the vintage, this was a yea characterised by damp weather early on, followed by a dry but not warm summar. It was warm temperatures in October that really brought on the ripening and quality of the fruit, creating yet another worthwhile vintage in what turned out to be, at the end, a most interesting decade for Bordeaux acolytes.
This tasting looked specifically at the left bank communes, focussing on a number of leading and popular estates, five each from Margaux and St Julien. The five wines from the former of these two communes were certainly instructive; it was surprising to see both Durfort-Vivens, an oft-derided second growth, and d'Angludet, a cru bourgeois that probably receives less attention than it should, come out on top in this quintet. Against Cantenac-Brown and Malescot this might not raise many eyebrows, but we were perhaps expecting Pavillon Rouge to show a little better than it did, although inspection of my scores demonstrates that it was very close in quality to the two top wines.
With St Julien we have a different picture, although of course this is a highly-selected group of wines, incorporating three second growth estates of high repute, alongside the ever-popular Langoa and Gloria. My notes read for themselves. Although Gloria was somewhat outshone, these are all wines I would be happy to have piled up in the cellar. It is naturally not a tasting that allows comment on the vintage on the whole, but nevertheless it shows that quality that can be found in what was certainly a most successful vintage. (21/5/00)
Bordeaux 1988 - Tasting Notes
Tasted in May 2000. Click
to locate stockists.
Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 1988:
A quite dense ruby red-purple hue. Nose is elegant with
ripe, round fruit. The palate is medium bodied, with well
balanced evident tannins and quite high acidity. Mature,
slightly spicy fruit flavours dominate. Clean finish,
nice length. 16.5/20
Chateau
Cantenac-Brown (Margaux) 1988: A very densely coloured wine, with a
dark caramel hue belying age. An attractive nose of
cigars and strong blackcurrant fruit. On the palate it is
medium bodied with a meaty texture. Evident tannins, nice
mineral complexity, but overall the palate lacks
elegance. The finish is pleasing and there is good
length. 15/20
Pavillon Rouge du
Chateau Margaux (Margaux) 1988:
Again an attractive red-caramel hue in the glass. The nose is less intense, with
nuances of fruit, violets, and a herbaceous element. On the palate tannins are
soft, acidity likewise not strongly apparent. Has a soft and rounded mouthfeel.
Some pleasant fruit, spicy oak overtones, and a sweet fruit finish. 16/20
Chateau Malescot St-Exupéry (Margaux) 1988: A
dark ruby-purple colour. Quite an earthy element to the
nose here, but otherwise the overall bouquet is
unexciting. Good attack on the palate with upfront, spicy
fruit, a nice chewy mouthfeel, all backed up by good
tannins. Finishes with considerable length. 15.5/20
Chateau Durfort-Vivens
(Margaux) 1988: A dense purple hue. Quite a stunning, elegant, mature claret
nose. The palate doesn't disappoint, with a well rounded mouthfeel and smooth
texture. Soft tannins, balancing acidity, and soft elegant fruit. Finishes well,
if anything a little short on the finish. 16.5/20
Chateau Gloria (St Julien)
1988: Beautiful red-purple hue. Nose of black fruit and spice. On the palate
there is cream, black pepper and more spice. Soft tannins and soft, well
integrated vanilla oak. Finishes well, but little length. 16/20
Chateau Léoville-Barton
(St Julien) 1988: Deep red ruby colour, with tremendous legs coating the
inside of the glass. Good nose with a smoky tobacco notes. On the palate a
beautiful, elegant mouthfilling wine. Nicely textured fruit, spice and a hint of
black pepper. Finishes beautifully with tremendous length. 18.5/20
Chateau Gruaud-Larose (St
Julien) 1988:
Another deep red wine, with tremendous length again. Initially the nose has
a rubbery component, but the aroma quickly blew off so this seems to be just
'bottle-stink'. Good fruit otherwise. On the palate a huge body, very weighty,
with smoke and tobacco elements. Well balanced. A lovely wine. 18/20
Chateau Langoa-Barton (St Julien) 1988:
A richly coloured wine. Violets and black fruit on
the nose. The palate is a full-on attack of fruit, with
smoky elements and well integrated oak. Good tannins and
acidity. A little short on length. 17.5/20
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou (St Julien) 1988: A deep, dark, brooding red. Lovely
black fruit, cream and vanilla nose. On the palate
excellent complexity, with nuances of cream, bacon fat
and raspberry fruit. Full bodied, nicely textured with
excellent poise. Finishes with more of that raspberry
fruit, and tremendous length. 18.5/20
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