The first bottle of our 1988 Bordeaux horizontal and this was perhaps the bottle I was most excited about on the night. After letting this slow oxidise for an hour or so, I could tell that this wine was in pristine condition upon seeing its medium ruby colour when being poured. The nose was captivating, boasting a lot of the traits I love and associate with Pessac-Léognan: smoke, cedar wood, tobacco, vanilla and a hint of blackberries. The palate was beginning to enter its tertiary phase, but was still packed with youth as leather and blackcurrant medlied in the upfront prior to red cherries, some meatiness and vanilla dominating the mid-palate. Licorice arose as a prominent note across a long, powerful finish. As a whole, this wine is just entering the prime of its life and can age for much longer. No rush.

I was not expecting this to be the wine of the night in a 1988 Bordeaux horizontal, but the 1988 Château Mouton Rothschild was in a perfect place when we PnP'd it on the night. Despite not being an overly aromatic wine, there were still aromas of red fruit and light tobacco coming together. But the palate truly stole the show. With tart raspberries and red cherries creating life (and complimenting acidity) in the upfront, the mid-palate was absolutely tantalising, boasting spices, iron and sanguine qualities before a well integrated tannic structure in the finish boasted light cassis and chewiness from a game note. This truly delivered - a bottle to open and enjoy now.

In our 1988 Bordeaux horizontal, the 1988 Château Pichon Baron truly gave its best effort to beat out what I picked as the WOTN: the 1988 Château Mouton Rothschild. Perhaps even boasting a more alluring nose - one which was packed with meatiness, smoke, cedar wood, licorice and blackcurrant - the bottle felt a tad more advanced on the palate. A tertiary upfront, I was immediately struck by the balance of sous bois and blackberries before the palate transitioned in its entirety during the mid-palate as notes of licorice and smoke came through. The finish was a tad astringent but a bark note emerged that balanced it out. A great bottle, but one I would drink up on now.

Having recently enjoyed the 1986 Château Lynch-Bages in a four decades of Bordeaux vertical, I was excited to dive into another example from the 1980s with the 1988 Château Lynch-Bages. This was absolutely drinking younger than I was anticipating, but lacked a 'wow' factor. The nose had a mossy quality to it, made better by hints of blackberries and light baking spices. The palate, though, showed off the youthfulness of this bottle as redcurrants and blackcurrants were omnipresent in the upfront prior to notes of leather, oak and white pepper providing a backbone in the mid-palate. The finish was dominated by sous bois, licorice and herbs, boasting tannins that had yet to settle down. I have one bottle left of 1988 Château Lynch-Bages and I think I'd give it 2-3 years before I revisit it.

Oxidised from the second it was poured in a glass.