Veuve Clicquot 1988 - Rare Vintage

Veuve Clicquot Rare Vintage 1988 - Champagne

Find here the text of the back label (for once the producer does the work for us, we take the liberty of transcribing it for you)

From 1810, Madame Clicquot created a vintage cuvée, thus initiating a collection of great Champagne wines that have forged the reputation of the house.

Composed exclusively of the best grapes from an exceptional harvest, the house's vintage wines faithfully reflect the Veuve Clicquot style. After resting for more than 15 years in the chalk pits, the Vintage 1988 marries the liveliness and delicacy of Chardonnay with an exceptional structure of Pinot Noir, the majority in the blend. This rare vintage goes perfectly with shellfish and sea fish.

Review by Wuat: Beyond the image of the orange brand, this 1988 vintage cuvée from Veuve Clicquot is extraordinary! This "rare vintage" version is the equivalent of a recently disgorged one since it came out of the cellars of the house in 2003!

We had tasted the 1988 vintage in its "vintage reserve" version in 2020 and it was one of our best tasting memories. These bottles are among those that are remembered for a long time. We remember when we drank it and with whom. In short, you are tasting a moment, not a champagne.

We also strongly recommend that lovers of champagnes and old vintages taste the vintage cuvées of many great houses (Mumm, Moet, Besserat, De Venoge, etc.) before strong demand makes them unaffordable.

These old bottles, if aged in good conditions, reveal very different and much more attractive charms than recently disgorged cuvées. But this is only our humble opinion.