May 23, 2020 - Complex and layered, required an hour to fully open.
October 14, 2018 - The best 88 Champagnes from 1988 Part 3/3 Prestige Cuvees from Magnum (L'assiette champenois): Regular bottle, not blind
For me WOTN. Very controverse wine at the table. It was the wine from nose and palate with the most character. For many maybe too much and for some people oxidized. Bitter chocolate, cigarbox, tobacco leaves, cognac, licorice. In the mouth more elegant and fresher than the nose would expect. It reminds me when you close your eyes to a red Bordeaux. Fantastic. 99
December 12, 2012 - Excellent, powerful wine. Completely ripe, but keeps on evolving in the glass. Very concentrated and long. Hints of sweetness, dried berries, apple syrup. Excellent acidity and balance. Give it time to open up and don't drink too cold. Then very impressive. 19+
March 23, 2012 - Kleur: Diep en donker goudgeel met een fragiele mousse Aroma / bouquet: Complex en rijp. Tonen van sherry, stokbrood, gebrande nootjes, paddestoelen, vleugje madeira en een hint van maggi. Smaak / Afdronk: Voor een 24!-jarige champagne nog opvallend vitaal, ook in de mond prachtige rijpe tonen. Iets meer dan bovengemiddelde afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Bijzonder om deze grootheid in het glas te hebben. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 10 + Smaak / Afdronk: 16 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 89/100
March 12, 2009 - Shared this with David and Donna as a form of thanks for them putting on a dinner for me. We all enjoyed this wine quite a lot. Strong citrus element. Aged aromas of mushroom. Some brioche and yeasty aroma/flavour as well. We all expected this to be a powerful and special wine that would do better with food. With a scallop dish, this proved true. No reason to hold.
October 23, 2007 - Bilson's #1: Darker in colour than the 1981. An interesting variety of aromas, with yeasty Vegemite, mushroom, aspirin and cedar. Palate has spice and texture to it, but it lacks length. Was given plenty of time to come around, but started to smell like rotten citrus after around an hour. It doesn't sound all that appealing from the note, but despite that, it was interesting and it was a peek at what a representative bottle may be like.
November 16, 2004 - 1988 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Blancs de Noir Francaise, Champagne, France
Dusty dark yellow appearance. Smoky scents emerging from the glass with undertones of wheat toast. Medium bodied, and simple in nature with an acidic, apple-like flavor profile. This wine possessed great length but only medium weight and concentration. Furthermore, I found it to lack a touch of fatness. However, the wine was quite forward and pleasurable to drink.
87 points