Prior to our pair of 1988 tastings this spring, it has been a long time since I last drank a bottle of the 1988 Beychevelle, with the last example having been broached all the way back in 2011 when I was writing my...
Prior to our pair of 1988 tastings this spring, it has been a long time since I last drank a bottle of the 1988 Beychevelle, with the last example having been broached all the way back in 2011 when I was writing my historic profile on the estate. Over the ensuing fourteen years, the wine has aged gracefully, but it has obviously not been in a hurry and is still one of the younger examples of the vintage out there today. That said, all of its constituent components here are lovely and the wine is tasty already if given half an hour in decanter, but clearly another five years of tannin softening would not be amiss. Once it opens up, the bouquet is excellent, showing that cooler ’88 vintage profile to fine effect in its blend of sweet black cherries and dark berries, a nice touch of bell pepper, dark soil tones, cigar smoke, a gentle framing of oak and a nice dollop of sealing wax in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and impeccably balanced, with a fine core of fruit, very good soil undertow, moderate tannins and a long, poised and nicely focused finish.
