One of the biggest Médocs of the vintage, the dense garnet/plum-coloured 1988 Mouton has an attractive aromas of Asian spices, dried herbs, minerals, coffee, black currants and sweet oak. Much like the 1989, the bouquet is alluring. The flavors continue to add bulk and the wine is better than I initially thought. In the mouth, it is a much firmer, tougher, more obviously tannic wine than the 1989, with full body and admirable ripeness. This is a muscular, large-scaled 1988 that will last another 15-20 years. I clearly underestimated this wine in its infancy. If the truth be known, it is superior to the more renowned vintages of 1990 and 1989! Anticipated maturity: 2008 - 2030.
|