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Tasting notes
Good medium red with an impressively youthful rim for a 30+-year-old wine. Vibrant aromas of raspberry, minerals and spices are enlivened by a hint of orange zest. Wonderfully spicy and alive on the palate, delivering a remarkably refined texture and terrific lift to its flavors of red berries, spices and minerals. Offers an uncanny blend of sexy soil tones, saline minerality and harmonious acidity, finishing long and alive, with refined tannins, an impression of weightlessness and noteworthy grip. At its peak right now but full of life. Respect! I pulled this bottle from my own cellar in August, as the bottle served at the vertical tasting--reportedly the last one remaining at the estate--was slightly corked. Marie-Andrée noted that a lot of estates picked too early in 1988 and therefore failed to take advantage of two perfect weeks of weather after they harvested. (this was Georges Mugneret's last vintage but he was already quite ill by the time of the harvest)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 1988 Clos Vougeot does not appear to have the outstanding concentration of Mugneret's 1985. In my tastings, I found that even the 1987 fared better than the 1988. However, the 1988 is an outstanding wine by any measure of burgundy. It is rich, full bodied, with good acidity, and an abundance of ripe berry fruit in the finish. It should drink well for another 10-12 years.