Château Lafite-Rothschild 1988

Tasted 7 Times Since Bottling With Consistent Notes Broodingly backward and in need of considerable bottle age, the 1988 is a classic expression of Lafite. This deeply colored wine exhibits the telltale Lafite bouquet of cedar, subtle herbs, dried pit fruits, minerals, and cassis. Extremely concentrated, with brilliantly focused flavors and huge tannins, this backward yet impressively endowed Lafite-Rothschild may well turn out to be the wine of the vintage! Anticipated maturity: 2000–2035.

Beautiful and subtle on the nose, with mineral, berry, licorice and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a pretty balance of fruit and mint. Long and caressing. Real claret here. Everyone talks about 1989, but this is very close in quality. -- '88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Drink now.

Born in an era of ‘classic Lafite,’ as described by Saskia de Rothschild, the 1988 vintage—now with more than three decades under its belt—still displays a vibrant ruby colour with just a hint of garnet. Notes of leather and forest floor overlay great depth of dark berries and plum, alongside savoury spices on both the nose and palate. Extremely complex with pronounced tertiary characters, yet vibrant acidity still shines through, revealing its persistent power. Chocolate- and menthol-seasoned cassis continues to resonate. Tasted from magnum.

I’ve always loved the 1988 and this is a beautiful bottle with finesse and wonderful length, showing Lafite’s unique character. Medium body, ultra-fine tannins and a refined, polished finish. The subtle currant, tobacco and Spanish cedar come through here. Perfect now.

The 1988 Lafite-Rothschild is the best of the triumvirate that ended the decade. Another bottle vindicates that view. It shows an intense bouquet with graphite-tinged black fruit mixed with cedar aromatics that seem to effortlessly cruise as Lafite is wont to do. The palate is beautifully balanced and blossoms in the glass. The 1988 has svelte, finely chiseled tannins. Tobacco notes appear towards the finish. This quintessential Lafite-Rothschild is even better than the bottle popped open at the château six years ago. Tasted at the 1988 Bordeaux dinner at Noble Rot Mayfair.

Proving leopards can change their spots to some extent, while still on the firm side, some of its previous austere character has abated. Now, you find a charming, though firm, strict, medium-bodied, crisp, chewy wine with an herbal edge. Classic in nature, but in a good way. Drink from 2024-2048.

Virtually no maturity notes. A Californian nose with plenty of cassis, gooseberries, eucalyptus, a discreet lactic touch, baroque depth with a truffled undertone. Lots of substance on the palate, very meaty, a demanding astringency now showing first signs of maturity. Backed by an easy 20-year enjoyment guarantee. A great, long-lived Lafite that could even gain another point.

New arrival (18/20): Dense nose with reductive primary aromas, violets and freshly baked bread. Delicate structure, extremely blueberry-driven, gentle, velvety tannins with a noble bitterness on the finish, beautifully expansive. 1991, tasted at a Mondavi blind tasting: once again a perfect, dense, typically Lafite structure. It takes a trained nose to recognize, compared to other Pauillacs, the finesse and richness of this ’88. 96: A dream Lafite (18/20)! A benchmark of balance. The nose is still slightly waxy, youthful, with primary fruit. On the palate, lots of extract and an extremely sweet length. 00: A half bottle in the caveau that Ben Lohrer had served blind: the bouquet initially closed, but no primary fruit in it—rather leather, currant-raisin and tar notes; very ripe grapes at the onset. On the palate, not at all the fine, elegant Lafite one is used to, but a sandy, almost boyish texture, more reminiscent of an animal Gruaud-Larose. With air, the wine does become somewhat finer and shows cinnamon, tobacco and again plenty of currants; unfortunately, the tannins dry out a bit on the aftertaste. Is this still reduction, or will it stay like this and develop like the likewise steadily drying ’79? 2001: a miserable bottle with celeriac and Maggi notes on the nose. That would have been at most a 16/20-point wine. But fortunately, at the big Lafite tasting in Bad Aussee, a top bottle (18/20) followed, giving hope that a truly great Lafite is in the making. Still strongly astringent with lots of flesh and character. 04: I got the wine blind. While I identified the other three ’88s (Mouton, Margaux and Haut-Brion), here I hesitated between Las Cases and Lafite. The bouquet showed precisely those lactic-buttery notes and the slight greenness on the attack like a Las Cases. Firm on the palate, perfumed, with a great fruit that still clings to the extract, lots of drive on the finish. That was a terrific bottle. (18/20). 08: Medium garnet, saturated at the core, still quite youthful in the highlights. Intense bouquet, peppery, red berries and dried blueberries, Havana touch, cedar, showing marked depth. On the palate, slender, ascetic, well-supporting acidity, medium tannin presence; only at the core does the perfumed Lafite sweetness emerge, which triggers the real fascination. This time the highest score in a long while: 19/20. 11: Practically no maturity tones. Californian nose, lots of cassis, blackcurrants, eucalyptus, also showing a subtle lactic note, baroque depth with a truffly undertone. Plenty of substance on the palate, very meaty, demanding astringency and thus now showing initial maturity. With a pleasure guarantee of a good 20 years. A great, long-lived Lafite that could even pick up another point. (18/20). 17: Peter Krummenacher brought a magnum to our annual meeting with the Zanininis at davittoria.it. A fresh, precise wine with a slightly grassy impression that gained in sweetness. Its greatness adds up with every hour of air. For me, at least in this bottle format, it’s not quite at its peak yet. So decanting certainly won’t hurt. (18/20). 17: Medium-dark, surprisingly little developed. Incredibly fresh attack, eucalyptus, mint, raspberry canes, utterly straight. On the palate rather slender, and thanks to the well-supporting acidity, perhaps not perfectly integrated, it seems very long. A peppery, sinewy wine with plenty of breed and a certain class. A fountain of youth that will last a long time, but won’t get better. A week ago we had a magnum in the glass. It was just as young as this standard bottle. (18/20).

Served from magnum, tasting delicious right now. I’ve had this vintage a few times recently and it’s not the most blockbuster Lafite, but it has such effortless charm that it feels absolutely signature. Tobacco, rose petals, subtle charred cedar and grilled cocoa, with loganberry and raspberry fruit. Does that Lafite trick where it’s utterly gulpable and so enjoyable, and it just subtly keeps delivering new moments of complexity and understated power.

The freshness of the Cabernet defines the bouquet, with nuances of eucalyptus, blackcurrant, and red berries. On the palate, the wine shines with finesse and elegance, but also with the power it owes to fresh, almost youthful, perfectly integrated tannins. The 1988 has always been like this: elegant, linear, subtle, and lively. And it will remain so for a long time to come!

First part of the blind tasting in flights of three wines (Mouton, Latour and Lafite) in the following vintages and order: 1994, 1988, 1995, 1996, 1986, 1990 and 1989. Dark color. Delicate nose. Fruity. Hint of capsule. Blackcurrant. Animal. Distinguished. Swirling. Very Cabernet Sauvignon. Smoky. Soft attack, developing into a refined body, extremely elegant in texture. The wine melts on the palate while offering small, subtle, fine tannins. It’s delicious without being very complex on the finish. But this wine is so hard to spit out! Lovely aromatic persistence.