Louis Roederer Cristal 1988

Was 1988 a good year in Champagne?

Published vintage charts rate Champagne 1988 5 out of 5 stars and 5 out of 5. Taut and structured at 9.3 per cent alcohol and 9.6 g/l acidity. The first of the 1988, 1989 and 1990 trilogy and the one built for long-term ageing.

A late, rainy season delivering a good yield with perfect acidity, picked very late on 26 and 27 September.

What the critics scored the 1988

4 critic scores from 4 reviewers, on the 100-point scale from 93/100 to 98/100. Score: 94.8 out of 100.

The dated reviews run from 1994 to 2020, young and mature bottles alike.

By score the 1988 ranks 27th of 39 scored Louis Roederer Cristal vintages, 1.1 points below their review-weighted 95.9.

The 1980s by score: 1981 94.0, 1982 96.0, 1983 93.5, 1985 95.7, 1986 91.5, 1988 94.8 and 1989 96.0.

We commenced with the 1988 Cristal. I wish every Tuesday lunch would start with ‘88 Cristal. Burnished amber in color, it has a captivating bouquet with mandarin and apricot scents, then traces of honeysuckle, Mirabelle and light Tokaji aszu aromas. Despite its 32-years of age, it was vibrant as the day its umbilical was cut, weighty in the mouth with real grip. The acidity was spot on and the finish brimmed with tension, orange rind and marmalade notes zinging around the mouth some 30-45 seconds after it was gone. Just brilliant.

Intriguing and complex, with enticing aromas of fig, butter and toast, backed by mouth-filling flavors of pear, cream and apple. Long on the finish, too. Gorgeous, refined and balanced. Drink now through 1997. -

We started with a mag of 1988 Louis Roederer Cristal, served out of a white wine glass, which this collector considers mandatory for any Champagne 1990 and older. The reasoning is to allow the complexities that come with age to aerate and open up as one would with a wine, and it makes complete sense to me. Champagne is, after all, sparkling wine! The nose was creamy and musky with nice buttery, yellow fruits, sweet and with touches of corn and rye yeast. The palate was round and fleshy, with nice sprite, very expressive and open at the moment. There were dry seltzer flavors, and while '88 is a middleweight vintage for Champagne, the Cristal still showed like a champ despite a lighter impression on the mid-palate.

What drinkers rate it

94.5 out of 100 from 28 drinker ratings, the most recent in November 2025.

That is 0.3 points below the critics' score.

Drinker rank: 19th of 44 (tied with 1996). The most-rated vintage has 559 ratings.

5 written notes, December 2023 to November 2025, rating it 80 to 97.

30th birthday celebration. Deep golden-yellow in color. The mousse was surprisingly generous, with plenty of fine bubbles and pleasantly softened acidity. On the palate, brioche and nuttiness without being intrusive or overpowering the ripe apple and citrus notes. This bottle was at its peak, a perfect fit for the festive atmosphere.

I had thought Cristal, which can be so seductive in its relative youth, was not an ager. My bottles of 1990, for example, have been mostly tired. Not this 1988, which has subdued energy and a burnished gold brown butter and hazelnut flavors that only extended age can bring. A delight for lovers of old champagne.

Chave & Steak (RPM Steak - Chicago, IL): If only all Champagne tasted like this at age 25+ ... really love that the wine retained its sweetness of fruit, creamy texture and bright acidity, while adding the layers of earth and roasted nuts that come with age. A dialed in older Champagne.

A good day (Chicago, IL): Good, not great. I've never been too big a fan of Cristal, and that creamy, autolytic quality shows through here, despite the relatively high acidity of the vintage. Oddly sweet at the same time, with very clear advanced notes of roasted nuts and browned apple. Pleasant, but not my cup of tea.

Directly i taste that this bottle has crossed its peak. Its a heavy flavour of lemon, and almost lemon only. Also little bitter.In my opinion the 1989 was way better and passed the years in a more delicate way than the 1988.If you have bottles left its time to really open them up! Maybe if you have Magnum size it should be fine until this day.

What it has traded at

One trade month on record, April 2018: 1 sale at £301 a bottle.

That last sale is 8 years old: history, not a quote.

3 other vintages also last traded in 2018: 1 cheaper, 1 dearer.

When to drink the 1988

1999 to 2034: 35 years, opening 11 years after the harvest.

Open at our 2026 snapshot, with 8 years to run.

Window length rank, longest first: 10th of 33.

The 1988 against its neighbours

The 1988 beside its 4 nearest recorded years.

Here, by score, it places 4th of 5.