Iron Gate Fine Wine Auction
Tue, Sep 16, 2025 10:00AM EDT - Tue, Sep 23, 2025 08:00PM EDT
Timed Auction
Lot 142
1988 Chateau Margaux - 1 bottle(s)-750ml
Estimate: CAD$600 - CAD$850
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| CAD$0 | CAD$20 |
| CAD$500 | CAD$50 |
| CAD$1,000 | CAD$100 |
| CAD$2,000 | CAD$200 |
| CAD$3,000 | CAD$250 |
| CAD$5,000 | CAD$500 |
| CAD$10,000 | CAD$1,000 |
| CAD$20,000 | CAD$2,000 |
| CAD$50,000 | CAD$5,000 |
| CAD$100,000 | CAD$10,000 |
This lot is comprised of 1 bottle(s) of 1988 Chateau Margaux - 750ml. Estimate for this lot is between $600 - $850 with a reserve of $440. The wine in this lot belongs to collection 11668.
Please note the following condition in this lot -Base Of Neck.
Condition
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All lots are located in Calgary, Alberta Canada. Confirmation of pickup or delivery of Iron Gate Commercial Auction winnings must be made within 30 days of auction close. Thereafter, your winnings will be subject to a $250 handling, administration and storage fee, including a subsequent $5.50/case/month and $1.50 per bottle fee for inventory services. If no contact has been made within two years, auction winnings will be considered abandoned.
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The consignor installed his wine cellar in early 1991, a project that grew over decades. Many of the bottles were carefully selected during his travels to France and Italy, while others were sourced via government outlets in Quebec and Ontario. Always in a climate-controlled environment, the collection reflected a deep appreciation for fine wine—an interest first sparked years ago while dining at a local restaurant boasting a 40,000-bottle cellar, once the largest in North America. Though his own 1,500-bottle cellar was modest by comparison, it became a treasured part of his life. Now, at 74 and no longer drinking much, he feels it's time to begin letting it go.
The score for 1988 Chateau Margaux is 93 from Robert Parker and the tasting note - The 1988 Chateau Margaux is a wine that was always overshadowed by the succeeding pair of vintages and like many 1988s, appeared rather conservative and lacked flair. However, I was gobsmacked by the performance of this wine at 28 years of age. Deep and clean in color, the bouquet is quintessentially Chateau Margaux with blackberry, potpourri, cedar and violets. It has wonderful clarity. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh as a daisy on the entry with a killer line of acidity that offsets those vibrant black and red fruits. There is energy here, vivacity, as if this Château Margaux suddenly realized its true potential after all these years. While it does not possess the length of the 1989 or 1990, there is such pleasure bound into this wine that you care little about that. Maybe I underestimated this wine for many years or perhaps it is a simple case of a late bloomer. While the 1988 might not belong in the top echelons of releases from this First Growth, it might be considered the undiscovered gem of that prosperous decade for the chateau. Additional scores for the wine in this lot - Wine Spectator 95 points , Gary Vaynerchuk - Wine Library TVinous 93 points .
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