12 bottles per lot
Details
1989 BORDEAUX VINTAGE REPORT
Unquestionably a great vintage and one which brought the decade to a resounding close.
First, the weather conditions. In May, growth was three weeks ahead of normal. Early flowering in excellent conditions, followed by the hottest summer since 1949 and the earliest harvest since 1983. However, though the grapes were fully ripe the tannins were not, though later-picked grapes did have softer tannins, but at the expense of acidity.
When youthful, the wines almost without exception were extraordinarily appealing. I personally thought we were in for another '85 but with extra dimensions; perhaps even an early developer. In fact, what seems to have happened is a sort of reversal of roles, the tannin becoming more noticeable, turning the '89 into a much longer-haul vintage than I had anticipated. Nevertheless, many superlative wines. M.B.
Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1989
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
Tasting Note: At 10 years of age it was beginning to show some maturity; spicy, sweet, with fullness of fruit but not of alcohol, the ideal - for claret - being 12.5 Anyway, a lovely wine; complete. Most recently: a warm, rich colour with a tinge of orange at the rim; very rich, gloriously fragrant bouquet yet with impenetrable depth and concentration; an extraordinary 'attack', very rich entry, nice weight, good fruit, plenty of tannin and acidity. Last tasted May 2002 ***(**) 2010 - 2030. M.B.
12 bottles per lot
Unquestionably a great vintage and one which brought the decade to a resounding close.
First, the weather conditions. In May, growth was three weeks ahead of normal. Early flowering in excellent conditions, followed by the hottest summer since 1949 and the earliest harvest since 1983. However, though the grapes were fully ripe the tannins were not, though later-picked grapes did have softer tannins, but at the expense of acidity.
When youthful, the wines almost without exception were extraordinarily appealing. I personally thought we were in for another '85 but with extra dimensions; perhaps even an early developer. In fact, what seems to have happened is a sort of reversal of roles, the tannin becoming more noticeable, turning the '89 into a much longer-haul vintage than I had anticipated. Nevertheless, many superlative wines. M.B.
Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1989
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
Tasting Note: At 10 years of age it was beginning to show some maturity; spicy, sweet, with fullness of fruit but not of alcohol, the ideal - for claret - being 12.5 Anyway, a lovely wine; complete. Most recently: a warm, rich colour with a tinge of orange at the rim; very rich, gloriously fragrant bouquet yet with impenetrable depth and concentration; an extraordinary 'attack', very rich entry, nice weight, good fruit, plenty of tannin and acidity. Last tasted May 2002 ***(**) 2010 - 2030. M.B.
12 bottles per lot