December 31, 2023 - The 1988 Domaine Leroy Richebourg was a sensation to drink. In true Leroy style there was about an 1/8" of mold growing on top of the cork which has been on pretty much every older bottle of Leroy I have opened. The bouquet was great right out of the bottle with a lot of old cherry fruit from a 35 year old, along with that Burgundy funk that I adore. This was stunning at the first sip and only got better over the next 4 hours (didn't decant, just in bottle). I would put this in the top 3 Red Burgundies that I have ever tasted (along with 1990 La Tache and 1992 Leroy Musigny) Opened 12/30/23 with friends and paired with Chuys fajitas and Queso (fight me).
February 8, 2023 - Drank vs 89 Leroy RSV. The RSV came out of the gates stronger: the Riche had a little funk on the pop while RSV gave more signature aromatics. After an hour, the Richebourg woke up, unfurled some spice and showed off a long finish. The color showed some age but it was still bright and only a little thinning at the rim.
February 13, 2021 - Pass
October 18, 2020 - Very nice and, blind, I guessed 1989 without 1988 crossing my mind. No austerity here - lots of ripe, dried cherry and cranberry, wonderful autumn baking spices, rose. Lovely, complete if without the dynamic impact to push it to the next level. Served at the very end of the night so I won’t formally score this but my impression was 94ish
March 28, 2018 - Sothebys. Not as good as her wines from early 1990s. Translucent ruby yes, but also sour stinky aromas and acidic palate. (189+190/2292)
March 11, 2017 - A fun quartet of 88's. DRC Richebourg, Leroy Richebourg, Leroy RSV, and Vogue Bonnes Mares. My order, and pretty much unanimous, was Vogue BM, Leroy Rich, Leroy RSV, and DRC Rich. The Vogue was served blind, and I thought it had the youthful sense of a 93. Delicious and striking. Neither of the Leroy's screamed Leroy, which in the context of drinking 88's was fine. The Richebourg was richer and more complete. The DRC Richebourg was the weak link here. Bottle, wine, not sure. Always fun to taste 88's and even more fun in a group.
April 30, 2015 - liked this much better than the 1991. More feminine, very long, pure.
April 24, 2012 - Knightsbridge El Bulli Buyout at Next Restaurant (Next Restaurant, Chicago IL): Amazing nose of red and black cherry with fantastic spice. Some earth and mushroomy notes as well. Palate was a bit lean at first, but then started fleshing out with more air. Fortunately someone at the table kept a little bit in their glass and I got to go back to it after an hour or two. All the great parts I tasted close to when it was opened all came together and made a fantastic wine. This bottle still had quite a bit of structure remaining. Delicious wine!
April 24, 2012 - Knightsbridge Night at Next, El Bulli Menu (Next - Chicago IL): Open 3 hours before serving, not decanted. Started with great baking spice aromas, some good red fruit and hints of mushroom. Over time the aromatic depth and complexity became more rich and intense and floral. Flavors were mostly of red and black cherry with some good earthy elements in near background. Still firmly structured but very accessible, this peaked in terms of both power and charm after one hour in the glass. No question this will last for another decade or two, and perhaps may even get a little better from here. Thankfully I have one more bottle.
October 14, 2010 - DRC Versus Leroy with the Burghound (RSV and Richebourg) (Bouley): Too tight to tell if it would live up to its rep, although it started to open and show some style