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  • Country ranking ?

    396
  • Producer ranking ?

    30
  • Decanting time

    10min
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Scampi and caviar toasts

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The year 1988 alternated perfectly between heat and rain until harvest which took place between September 26th and October 6th, a year without excesses that created the conditions for a slow maturation keeping a very high level of freshness.

The result was extremely balanced harvested grapes, a perfect equilibrium between freshness and maturity. Being 1988 such a particular year, the creation of Krug 1988 was obvious. Krug 1988 is the blend of very refined and promising wines with solid structure, high freshness, extreme elegance, directness, purity, crystal and sharp finish. Krug 1988 is the blend of very expressive plot’s wines of Pinot Noirs (50%), Chardonnays (32%) and Meuniers (18%) from 21 villages, giving birth to a reserved, elegant, very classy and stylish vintage.

Krug 1988 stayed a bit close for quite some time, very discrete, nearly austere at the beginning but elegance and refinement have always been tangible. Today after more than 25 years in Krug’s cellars it is entering into a new, expressive phase, it is opening up beautifully all that was hidden and shy and needed coaxing is now revealing itself. I am confident this Vintage will take a while to emerge as a Krug Collection and will be always timeless impressive Champagne.

Krug 1988 is a treasure trove of emblematic savoir-faire from the House of Krug.

 

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The Story

Unique to the House of Krug, every Krug Vintage is crafted to be different, to reveal the expression of a particular year. A year with character, a year with a special story to tell in a way that Krug alone can relate. To narrate this story, Krug has blended very expressive wines from a single year, enhanced by a stay of over ten years in the cellars. Krug Vintage is the story of a year as seen by Krug; there are as many stories as there are Krug Vintages.

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Wine Information

Established in 1843, Krug has specialized solely in prestige and exceptional champagne. Dedication to quality takes precedence over quantity of production. Krug is the only Champagne House still fermenting all of its champagnes the age-old way, in small oak casks.

Krug releases vintage wines in only truly great years. The release of Krug 1988 marks the first time in Krug's 158-year history that its vintage chronology has been reversed. The Krug family decided to present the tender, warm and mature 1989 vintage first, and hold its 1988 vintage in Krug's cellars to realize its full potential. 

Today, after more than a decade of bottle aging, Krug 1988 explodes on the palate with tremendous depth and complexity. The first impression is intense, yet it develops in the glass with delicacy, revealing lightly spiced notes of dried figs and ripe quince. Underlined by a superb structure, this wine maintains a remarkable freshness for its long aging.

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Vintage 1988

CHAMPAGNE: From this year, the most classic and refined champagnes were producedChampagnes are long-lived and mature slowly to their peak.

Winter and spring were fairly mild. Inflorescences began in good weather in June. Already during the next month, the cloud masses swarmed to the Champagne province. Finally, the sky broke right before harvest. The harvest remained smaller than in the previous year. Even though the weather was unstable, the vintage produced fine and elegant wines, of which many have just reached their peak. The wines are marked by high acids and a concentrated, precise style. A real classic vintage. There is no rush to enjoy these wines, as they endure storage well and will continue to develop well for the next 10–12 years. Indicative of a slowly maturing vintage is that Krug released to the market first the Clos du Mesnil 1989 vintage before the 1988 vintage. This year has also stayed in mind as the vintage when Jacquesson & Fils produced the first of its three late bottled special cuvées – the Jacquesson DT (Dégorgement Tardif).

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Average Bottle Price

2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2005
481€ +5.7% 455€ -4.4% 476€ +7.7% 442€ -4.3% 462€ +28.0% 361€ +102.8% 178€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Medium, Straw and Bright

ending

Long, Lingering, Pure and Neutral

flavors

Toasty, Mineral, Citrus, Steely, Oily and Raspberry

nose

Intense, Complex, Seductive and Refined

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Complex, Well-structured, Balanced, Developing, Medium-bodied, Refined, Firm, Rich and Dry

Verdict

Sophisticated and Impressive

Written Notes

Clear, bright, yellow colour with really lively bubbles. Intensenose is powerful with rich toasty and mineral notes reminiscent of gunflint and ashes. Crisp acidity with mouthfilling mousse on palate. Very rich and round texture with ripe apples. Great finesse and firm minerality in lingering subtle finish. Opulent wine with power and elegance.

  • 96p
Much expected of this (for me, one of the very greatest champagne vintages of all) and much delivered. A brilliant, complex, richly flavoured champagne. Glorious. Offered layer after layer. Baked custard notes, grilled cashews, apricot brulee. Just a hint of fresh coffee on the finish. Seamless, mouthfilling and with great length. Still full of life but so good now. You have to wonder if, or how, it could ever get better but it just might.
  • 98p
We whet our whistles with some 1988 Krug, the birthyear of his soon-to-married daughter. The 1988, along with the 1982, remains arguably the best Krug of the decade, and this bottle was classic. It was a bit of a brute in a good way with its young, big finish. There was a lot of citrus still in this broad-shouldered wine, one that is still waiting to hit that secondary level of development (96).
  • 96p

Deep gold. Very rich and broad on the palate. Vibrant and a little richer than refreshing but admirable lasting quality. Though it does fall apart a bit in the glass.”

  • 93p

“Compared to both 1989 and 1990 this vintage seems really youthful in its slowly building complexity. It comes with a sweet fruity overall impression with apricot, cinnamon, toast and wax notes. There is even a faint character of restraint not so typical of Krug. A superb acid line drives the intense and vivacious palate. It still holds back, there is more to come. ”

  • 96p

Very shrunken cork that was easy to extract with only a mild sigh.  Very deep gold. Not much nose. Rich palate entry, almost a champagne sorbet! Dry finish. Meaty and it really builds towards the bone dry finish. Rather recalls a really serious mature Corton Charlemagne  - Coche? Demanding. The usual intellectual exercise! 

  • 95p

Upright structure and the solid acidity not found in particularly hot years, Krug 1988 reveals sharp purity. In the mouth, it is full of sensations: orange blossom, dry figs, ripe quince, and mild spices such as cinnamon and ginger. With a crystal finish and lingering palate, Krug 1988 is a treasure trove of emblematic savoir-faire from the House of Krug.

Being 1988 such a particular year, the creation of Krug 1988 was obvious. Krug 1988 is the blend of very refined and promising wines with solid structure, high freshness, extreme elegance, directness, purity, crystal and sharp finish. Krug 1988 is the blend of very expressive plot’s wines of Pinot Noirs (50%), Chardonnays (32%) and Meuniers (18%) from 21 villages, giving birth to a reserved, elegant, very classy and stylish vintage.

Pale golden, very elegant bubbles. Very fresh and youthfull, some plaster, apples, brioch, toast. Such elegance, soperb balance, can't even tell the age, great acidity, some oxidized apples, minerals, great mousse, very fresh acidity, probably the youngest 88 bottle I have tasted, maybe of any wine. 95

  • 95p
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Information

Origin

Reims, Champagne

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

Average

Fake factory

None

Other wines from this producer

Blanc de Blancs

Clos du Mesnil Vinothèque

Grande Cuvée

Grande Cuvée 160ème Édition

Grande Cuvee 161st edition

Grande Cuvée 162ème Édition

Grande Cuvee 163th edition

Grande Cuvee 164th edition

Grande Cuvée - 165ème Édition

Grande Cuvée -166ème Édition

Grande Cuvée 167ème Edition

Grande Cuvée 168éme edition

Grande Cuvee 169th Edition

Grande Cuvée 170ème Édition

Grande Cuvée 171ÉME Edition

Grande Cuvée Edition 167

Krug Clos d'Ambonnay

Krug Clos du Mesnil

Krug Collection

Krug Rosé

Krug Rosé 25ème Édition

Private Cuvée

Private Cuvée Extra Sec

Rosé - 18ème Édition

Rose 21st Edition

Rosé 22 Edition

Rosé 27ème Édition

Vintage

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