1988 Grands Echezeaux

I have been telling people for years that this domaine's "best buy," if such a label can be applied here, is the Grands Echezeaux. While it is not Romanee-Conti or La Tache, it often comes very close to those two titans, at a fraction of the price. In 1988, it is fabulous. In fact, my unedited tasting notes had the words "fabulous" in them twice and "awesome" once. It is decadently rich and spicy with an extraordinary perfume of violets, gamey, plum-like fruit, toasty new oak, and a finish that must last several minutes. It, like the Echezeaux, should not be consumed for at least 5 years, and should easily last until 2010 or longer. The prices for the wines of the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti may be exorbitant but the quality of the wines produced in the eighties is truly remarkable. The 1988s are celestial wines selling at stratospheric prices. The 1988 production was twice what it was in 1987, but the same as in 1985. The 1988s are fuller-bodied, deeper, more concentrated wines than the superb 1987s, and will need some time in the cellar to shed their generous amounts of tannin. The only vintage they can be favorably compared with is the 1985 vintage, and the 1985s were a great deal more forward and flattering to taste when young. There is more depth in the 1988s than in the 1986s or even the superb 1980s (which turned out to be the finest wines made in that underrated vintage).