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The wine of the vintage and one of the greatest Haut-Brions ever made. Superpowerful and ripe, with masses of spice, mint and berry character. Full-bodied, with full yet polished tannins, this wine is a joy to taste and will be for decades.--1988 Bordeaux horizontal.Wine Spectator | 98 WSA more firmly structured Haut-Brion, built somewhat along the lines of the 1996, this dark garnet-colored wine is showing notes of licorice, underbrush, compost, truffles, dried herbs, creosote, and sweet black cherries and currants. Medium-bodied, rich, but still structured, this wine unfolds incrementally on the palate, showing superb density and a lot of complex Graves elements. It is just beginning to hit its plateau of full maturity. Anticipated maturity: Now-2025. Last tasted, 11/02.Robert Parker | 92 RPThe 1988 Haut Brion is another vintage that I have not seen for a number of years. It has a light, maybe slight smudged nose that is quite leafy in style, autumnal, hints of bay leaf and a light marine influence developing but never quite delivering the vigor of its sibling, the 1988 La Mission Haut-Brion. The palate is medium-bodied with dry tannin on the entry, a fine thread of acidity, but I would argue this is too simple for a First Growth in a decent vintage like this, does not engage or charm like the 1985 or 1986. Of course, matter would be redressed by the legendary 1989 Haut-Brion. The 1988? It is more like a footnote to Jean-Bernard Delmas’s crowning glory that arrived 12 months later. Tasted at the château.Vinous Media | 90 VM

(Château Léoville-Las Cases, St-Julien, Red) This 1988 is still youthful with chewy tannins and a menthol send off. It’s full of rich, concentrated spice, cloves and cinnamon touches and is holding up extremely well. It’s a little more evolved than the 1986 but still shows just how regularly Las Cases rewards the faith that people have in it. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. (Drink between 2019-2030)Decanter | 96 DECWhat a complex nose here with forest floor, bark, sliced wild mushrooms and tobacco. Full-bodied and round with very juicy, savory character. It long and flavorful with leather, forest flowers and mushrooms at the end. Drinking wonderfully now.James Suckling | 96 JSWow. Really youthful on the nose, with currant, blackberry and hints of vanilla bean. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and lots of mint and fruit. Goes on for a long time. Surprisingly youthful. Give it a couple of years. So focused and beautiful.--’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2010.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 1988 Léoville Las Cases is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Pale to medium garnet-brick in color, it wafts slowly, gracefully out of the glass with perfumed notions of dried cherries, rose oil, sandalwood and cigar box over a core of preserved plums, figs and fruitcake with a touch of dusty soil. The medium-bodied palate has a soft, satiny texture and tons of freshness supporting the fragrant earth and floral notes, leading to a long mineral and exotic spices-laced finish. This is so good to drink right now, but no rush. It has the structure and stuffing to exist at this plateau for at least good 10-15 years further, before it slowly begins to fade.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPFrom a late, difficult vintage (harvest didn’t come in until October), the 1988 Léoville Las Cases is nevertheless a beautiful wine that’s drinking fabulous well today. Ripe currants, green tobacco, cedarwood, and loads of spice all emerge from this medium-bodied, fresh, elegant, yet oh, so charming Saint-Julien. It’s not getting any better, but still has plenty of life. Drink it any time over the coming 7-8 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JD

This has both sinew and flesh, with taut dried red currant, blackberry and plum skin notes that are forced to expand outward as the core of black tea, charcoal, plum paste and dark humus fills in quickly behind them. The charcoal-tinged grip carries the finish, with more bass than treble at first, but there’s perfume here as well. Seriously long and the most overlooked of the truly great vintages here.--Non-blind Château Margaux vertical (December 2013). Drink now through 2025. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSMineral and blueberry skin and flowers on the nose. It’s full-bodied with minerals and silky tannins. Dusty and very pretty. Refined finish. I remember this being harder but it’s finally coming around.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 1988 Chateau Margaux is a wine that was always overshadowed by the succeeding pair of vintages and like many 1988s, appeared rather conservative and lacked flair. However, I was gobsmacked by the performance of this wine at 28 years of age. Deep and clean in color, the bouquet is quintessentially Chateau Margaux with blackberry, potpourri, cedar and violets. It has wonderful clarity. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh as a daisy on the entry with a killer line of acidity that offsets those vibrant black and red fruits. There is energy here, vivacity, as if this Château Margaux suddenly realized its true potential after all these years. While it does not possess the length of the 1989 or 1990, there is such pleasure bound into this wine that you care little about that. Maybe I underestimated this wine for many years or perhaps it is a simple case of a "late bloomer." While the 1988 might not belong in the top echelons of releases from this First Growth, it might be considered the undiscovered gem of that prosperous decade for the chateau. Tasted May 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMThe 1988 Château Margaux is a wine that I have encountered three or four times, most recently in May 2016 when it shone. Now at 30-years old it is still a lovely mature First Growth that gives so much pleasure. The nose is complex and well defined with black fruit, potpourri, incense and cedar, unfolding all the time in the glass. The palate is fresh from the start thanks to the fine line of acidity. Interestingly, this ex-château bottles felt a little more mature than the one that I purchased from a UK cellar, a little more spice and quite ferrous towards the finish. Like many 1988s, it is a wine that belongs on the dinner table than being analyzed on its own, but it is still a very fine Château Margaux now probably at the peak of its maturity. Tasted at the château.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Subtle yet rich aromas of grilled meat, black olive and dark red fruits. Full-bodied, very soft and silky, with ultrarefined tannins. The finish lasts for minutes. The quality of the tannins is beautiful and the complexity of fruit, earth and spices is impressive. Drinking this is like listening to Mozart.--’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Drink now. 3,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThis wine has become increasingly herbaceous with the tannins pushing through the fruit and becoming more aggressive. The wine started off life impressively deep ruby/purple but is now showing some amber at the edge. It is a medium-bodied, rather elegant style of Petrus with a distinctive cedary, almost celery component intermixed with a hint of caramel and sweet mulberry and black cherry fruit. It has aged far less evenly than I would have thought and is probably best drunk over the next 8-10 years. Last tasted, 11/02.Robert Parker | 91 RPThe 1988 Petrus is a vintage that I have encountered in two occasions. It is a forerunner for the 1989 and 1990 and frankly, it cannot hold a torch to those twin titans. In retrospect, one can see it more as a small progression from the capable 1987. It has a youthful hue with less bricking on the rim than you would expect. The bouquet is well defined with autumn leaves and thyme aromas filtering through the red berry fruit, perhaps a little austere but attractive in its own modest way. The plate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins, conservative and clearly not a flamboyant Petrus, though balanced with a discrete sense of breeding towards the finish. There is no need to cellar bottles for longer although it should remain at this level for another decade. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at Hide restaurant in London.Vinous Media | 90 VM