This has both sinew and flesh, with taut dried red currant, blackberry and plum skin notes that are forced to expand outward as the core of black tea, charcoal, plum paste and dark humus fills in quickly behind them. The charcoal-tinged grip carries the finish, with more bass than treble at first, but there's perfume here as well. Seriously long and the most overlooked of the truly great vintages here.—Non-blind Château Margaux vertical (December 2013). Drink now through 2025. 25,000 cases made. — JM

Mineral and blueberry skin and flowers on the nose. It's full-bodied with minerals and silky tannins. Dusty and very pretty. Refined finish. I remember this being harder but it's finally coming around.

The 1988 Chateau Margaux is a wine that I have encountered three or four times, most recently in May 2016 when it shone. Now at 30-years old it is still a lovely mature First Growth that gives so much pleasure. The nose is complex and well defined with black fruit, potpourri, incense and cedar, unfolding all the time in the glass. The palate is fresh from the start thanks to the fine line of acidity. Interestingly, this ex-chateau bottles felt a little more mature than the one that I purchased from a UK cellar, a little more spice and quite ferrous towards the finish. Like many 1988s, it is a wine that belongs on the dinner table than being analyzed on its own, but it is still a very fine Chateau Margaux now probably at the peak of its maturity. Tasted at the chateau.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 01/01/2003
In a somewhat chunky, full-bodied, rather muscular style, with a dark, almost opaque garnet color and a big, smoky, earthy nose, with hints of compost, melted asphalt, black fruits, mushrooms, and new oak, this wine lacks the elegance one expects from Chateau Margaux, but does have plenty of tough-textured tannin and an almost rustic, corpulent style to it. The wine is mouth-staining as well as mouth-filling, but in a relatively chunky style. Anticipated maturity: Now-2018. Last tasted, 3/02.

The 1988 offers a classic bouquet of violets and blackcurrants intertwined with lavish quantities of toasty new oak. Medium-bodied, concentrated, but extremely hard and tannic, this elegantly wrought, slightly herbaceous wine possesses a tougher texture and more astringent tannins than usual. It has begun to reveal more sweetness of fruit, but the wine is slightly compact and angular. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2015. Last tasted, 6/93.
(88)

Mid ruby with an evolved rusty rim. Bright colour. Graphite and iodine dominate a fully developed nose. Very attractive and subtle. Fine, delicate Cabernet tannins on the end. Fresh and edgy, perfectly clarety. Not especially heavy or alcoholic. Dry finish but for a 1988 it’s very charming. And more evolved than I would have expected, especially compared with 1986… Slightly dry finish but first-growth quality without doubt.
JR - Feb 2019