So minty with loads of subtle ripe fruit and eucalyptus undertones. Full-bodied with ultrafine tannins and a long long finish. Caresses every inch of the palate. It's the quality of the tannins that's impressive here. What a great and beautiful wine. Should improve for many years to come.-'88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Drink now. -JS

The 1988 Latour has a slightly more powerful nose than the Lafite-Rothschild, with hints of black olive, sage and sous-bois infusing the black fruit. But it doesn't fully reach the complexity of the best vintages of Latour. The palate has a wonderful backbone and grip, with hints of cooked meat. It sedately shimmies into its secondary phase, easing off the gas towards the finish with more density than its peers. This is the best bottle of the 1988 that I have tasted. Excellent. Tasted at the 1988 Bordeaux dinner at Noble Rot Mayfair. -- Neal Martin

A good vintage, the first of an exceptional trio, that remains well structured at this point, with rose petals, fennel and grilled sage, cracked pepper, cedar, cassis and loganberry, starting to soften its tannic grip but still clearly delivering Latour confidence. Served in magnum. Harvest September 28 to October 10.

Tasted at Christies’ boardroom dinner. This is perhaps the best First Growth from this vintage. At 20-years of age, this has a delightful, cedar-infused nose with dark berry fruits, a touch of scorched earth, tar and graphite all with excellent definition and vigour. Impressive weight on the palate, firm tannins provided a stern backbone but this Latour has mellowed in recent years, less austere than I recall. Tobacco infused black fruits, a pleasant leafiness on the mid-palate with a slight salty tang that I have not noticed before. Surprisingly rich towards the finish, as if the wine had forgotten its vintage and thought it was a 1990! A great Latour considering the vintage and it should cellar for 10-15 years. Excellent. Drink now-2030.

The best showing yet for a wine from this under-rated vintage the dark garnet-colored 1988 Latour reveals slight amber at the edge. A bouquet of melted tar plums black currants cedar and underbrush is followed by a sweet entry with medium to full body excellent ripeness and mature tannin. It is a classic elegant Latour with more meaty vegetable-like flavors than are found in a riper year such as 1989 and 1990. The 1988 has just begun to enter its plateau of maturity where it should remain for 25 years. Anticipated maturity: now-2025</P>