1988 Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Medium red with some amber throughout. The nose shows both warm and cool elements, offering aromas of plum, red berries, chlorophyll, orange zest, medicinal herbs and mocha; not yet particularly balsamic. Silky, juicy and savory; quite fresh and harmonious in the middle palate, enlivened by nicely integrated acidity and a touch of iodiney minerality. This seamless midweight finishes tactile, gripping and very long, with repeating minerality and an impression of weightlessness. Still remarkably alive at age 30.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
In 1988, Pierre Labet produced two cuvees of Clos Vougeot. The Cuvee Vieilles Vignes, made from a parcel of vines planted in 1910, is an absolutely astonishing wine with a rare opulence and concentration. It is bursting with berry fruit, and I thought it lacked acidity and tannin until I carefully inspected the wine's components. The wine is so obviously fruity and intense it is easy to overlook its good acidity and tannin levels. Unfortunately, Labet produces tiny amounts of the Cuvee Vieilles Vignes. This splendid wine should be drunk over the next decade.