1988 Krug, Margaux, Lafite, Yquem

[DavidG]

Dinner at home with some close friends, the wines were all '88s in recognition of our 25th anniversary. The champagne was served with a selection of cheeses, nuts and smoked salmon, the reds with a rib roast and my wife's famous Peg's Potatoes. Desserts were peach pie and coconut cream cake.

• 1988 Krug Champagne Brut - France, Champagne (2/24/2013)
  From magnum, purchased on release and stored in temp controlled cellar since. No signs of ullage. Pop and pour, enjoyed over an hour. Light gold color, lots of bread, citrus and hints of apple and smoked nuts on the nose. Plenty of mousse, full body, almost creamy mouthfeel balanced beautifully with minerally acidity, complex flavor follow the nose, long finish, this is drinking beautifully and should continue to do so for years. Extraordinary.
• 1988 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (2/24/2013)
  Purchased on release and stored in temp controlled cellar since. Perfect cork and fill. Opened 4 hour before serving, decanted 1 hour before serving. Dark red core, lighter at rim but no browning. Great forward nose of floral "Margaux-berries" cherries and clean damp earth. Medium body, lush feminine welcoming palate feel, good balance if a touch on the soft side, mostly resolved tannins, medium finish, not yet showing the sweet complexity of truly aged Bordeaux but still a hit and holding plenty of fruit, this may yet improve with further cellaring. A better nose than the '88 Lafite, maybe less serious on the palate but hard to resist the Margaux's "drink me" nature. Outstanding.
• 1988 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (2/24/2013)
  Purchased on release and stored in temp controlled cellar since. Pristine cork and fill. Opened 4 hours before serving and decanted 1.5 hours before serving. Dark red core, lighter at rim without browning. Classic nose of pencil shavings, cedar and cassis, but not yet showing serious tertiary development. Medium body, good concentration, excellent balance, still showing some tannins and again not yet fully mature. Medium-long finish. After the '88 Margaux this actually seemed a bit masculine in comparison. Perhaps this is the better balanced, more serious wine but it needs more time to develop those true aged Lafite characteristics. I'll take the Margaux for hedonistic pleasure right now. Outstanding with upside potential.
• 1988 Château d'Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (2/24/2013)
  Purchased in 2003, temp controlled storage since. The cork was wet along the edges and there was black sticky goo on the outer end, indicating leakage and possibly heat exposure in the past. But the fill was well into the neck and the color was medium gold/orange, like other perfect bottles, so I had hope. Opened 5 hours before serving and an ounce poured out to check its status - Yes! All is well! If anything, this is even better than the 375 we opened 10 days ago. Identical profile but turned up just a notch - maybe because of the preceding wines on the evening? Intense complex nose of citrus, pineapple, honey and spice. Deep lush creamy fruit balanced perfectly by crisp acidity, complex flavors changing on the palate from moment to moment, with a long slow fade into a long rich finish. This wine will last for decades. Extraordinary.

[stefan]

Happy Silver, David and Peggy. What a great way to celebrate your 25th.

[Jay Winton]

Terrific dinner and great notes as always. Congrats!

[JCNorthway]

Great wines and notes, David. Congrats on your 25th. We reach that next year, and I have a few 89s for the occasion.

[Blanquito]

You are drinking well, David. Congrats.

[Nicklasss]

Again, congratulation to your wife and you David. Seems like less people make it to 25 these days...

One question: extraordinary or outstanding is the best?

I had the 88 Krug with Winedinner in Paris in 2004, and I thought it was an incredible great wine, best match for me that night with the sardines with brebis cheese.

Margaux "drink me" nature: I agrée also with that statement.

Oups, Béatrice is crying, I'll be back.

Nic

[DavidG]

Thanks, guys. My extraordinary is better (like 96-100 points) than my outstanding (like 90-95 points). The Krug and Yquem were the highlights for me.

[Bacchus]

Very nice, indeed. I had a glass of the 89 Latour the other day. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, I'll bet it didn't measure up to the 88s.