BY ANTONIO GALLONI | MAY 21, 2018

The 1988 Montrachet was a stand out in a recent dinner that spanned 20+ vintages going all the way back to 1973. This is an especially fine example of a wine I have been fortunate to taste and drink many times over the years. While I tend to have a slight preference for a number of recent vintages (2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 come to mind), the 1988 is sublime in the way it expresses the nuance that develops over many years in bottle while retaining striking detail and the mineral underpinnings that have always been one of its signatures. This bottle is fresh, cool and sophisticated, but also a bit less exotic than others have been. Not that it matters, because it is nevertheless viscerally thrilling. At thirty years of age, the 1988 remains remarkably crystalline and precise, not to mention stunningly beautiful. Aged white Burgundy is the Holy Grail in fine wine. When it is on, there is simply nothing better. It was a real pleasure to share this bottle from my cellar with a group of fellow wine lovers. 97/Drink 2018-2023.