1988 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage

“A vintage that really expresses its granite core, framed by strict, upright tannins and bright acidity. This is a highly structural Hermitage, with vibrant cherry fruits. Unlikely to improve as such, but no hurry to drink. Pair with 60-day-aged beef and soy sauce. (MW)” (10/2020)

“The 1988 Hermitage is a more mineral-laced, elegant Hermitage that’s drinking at point today. Offering up plenty of sweet cherry and currant fruits as well as notes of leather, olives, and spice, it’s medium-bodied, fully resolved, and incredibly elegant on the palate. It’s not getting any better and I don’t see any need to delay gratification, yet it should keep through 2028 for those who like completely mature wines.” (02/2020)

“Good youthful deep red. Perfumed, multifaceted aromas of crystallized black cherry, cassis, gibier and smoke. Fruity and precise in the mouth, with amazingly youthful dark berry flavors and terrific purity and thrust. Really razor-sharp, with more intensity than sheer size. Finishes with firm but suave tannins and terrific cut. This has the balance and stylishness of best 1988 red Burgundies. (ST)” (07/1999)

“It has been several years since I last tasted the 1988 Hermitage from Chave. Previous bottles had demonstrated more density and grip, where this is more elegant and transparent with plenty of red berry fruit, rose petal, singed leather and a touch of curry leaf. The palate is beautifully balanced and poised, fresh and very elegant with just a touch of piquancy towards the tertiary finish. This Hermitage is certainly à point, and unlikely to improve with further ageing. So, drink this refined beauty over the next decade or so. Tasted at the Amos Bursary charity dinner at 67 Pall Mall. (NM)” (10/2021)

“Even more closed than the 1989 and 1990, this opaque, dark ruby/purple-colored wine reveals a tightly knit nose of cassis, minerals, and tar. Full-bodied, with superb concentration, the 1988 Chave Hermitage exhibits more astringent, tougher tannin than either the 1989 or 1990. While it appears more structured, it has nowhere near the weight and dazzling opulence of its two younger siblings. Nevertheless, this is a superb Hermitage. Palate richness and a focused finish. (RP)” (12/1996)

“Back in Gérard Chave’s day at the head of this historic family estate, there could be a bit of bottle variation with the Hermitage here, and while one was almost always guaranteed a very good bottle of Hermitage, there were different cuvées floating around in each vintage and some were 'more equal than others.' I have had the good fortune to drink up almost my entire case of the 1988 over the years with great pleasure, but this particular bottle was from a friend’s cellar and most likely from a different batch than my box of the wine that I bought back on its release in the early 1990s. This bottle was a touch reductive out of the blocks and never quite shook this completely over the course of the hour or two that we drank it, which kept the nose a touch reserved, despite the palate absolutely singing. The bouquet on this particular bottle is deep and black fruity in profile, offering up scents of cassis, stony soil tones, bonfire, pepper, grilled meats and a topnote of balsam bough. On the palate the wine is very deep and full-bodied, with plenty of stuffing in the mid-palate, fine soil signature, moderate tannins and a long, tangy and complex finish. The wine from my case is more generous and red fruity today that this particular bottle. With this example, I would still let it sit in the cellar for a handful more years and see if it starts to truly blossom. 92+” (05/2017)