The claret vintage series: part three 1989

Overall vintage rating: *****

The 1989 vintage is arguably the most accomplished and complete vintage in the latter part of the 20th century. The 1982s are more celebrated, the 1990s are more opulent, the 1985s may appeal more to British claret aficionados, but for all round appeal 1989 edges out the rest in my opinion. Undoubtedly the 1989s cannot match the power and exuberance of the great vintages of the 21st century, like 2005, 2009 and  2010 but they are more accessible and often cheaper. Most of them are drinking very well. Chateau Petrus may be an exception, judging by the backward 1990, but I have not had the tremendously good fortune to try it. 

By the overwhelming consensus of expert opinion Haut-Brion is the wine of the vintage; or if not then its stablemate La Mission Haut-Brion. However at a horizontal tasting of the vintage in 2009 in  New York with a group of Bordeaux experts, neither were the  winner. They were outpointed and outclassed by Chateau Lafite. At another dinner  in  London in 2011 the 1989 La Mission was taken to the cleaners by Chateau Margaux 1986.

Chateau Lafite 1989 is the most quintessentially complete and perfect glass of claret you could wish for, with its hallmark being perfect balance and equilibrium in every sense. It is just entering a long plateau of maturity. The Haut-Brion has gravitas and pedigree and is still on the ascendency. It will  continue to improve and has a bit more class than its somewhat more exuberant stablemate. 

The 1989 vintage is strong on both banks, and two astonishingly good right bankers are Angelus and La Fleur De Gay, which are brilliant, exuberant and delicious wines. The latter is a slightly toned down version of the former, which is a full throttle hedonistic wine.

Still on the right bank,  Cheval Blanc is very under-rated and delicious if not as flashy as Angelus, while La Conseillante has always been one of the superstars of the vintage, which is initially understated but caresses and seduces you as it weaves its magic. L'Evangile, from next door, has been a much more backward wine and has only just come round. But it has been well worth the wait. Le Gay is a thrilling 1989 Pomerol in an old fashioned, brawny and rustic style.  Vieux Chateau Certan is a much classier wine and has been slow to evolve. Le Tertre-Roteboeuf in Saint-Emilion is flashy, almost to the point of being over the top and at worst a bit kitsch.

Another very under-rated and misunderstood wine is Mouton-Rothschild. Rather than being hollow, it is light on its feet, racy and elegant, and has evolved into a stunning and beautiful wine. Chateau Palmer is deservedly acclaimed and is streets ahead of an under-achieving Chateau Margaux in 1989. The final slot in my top ten goes to Cos D'Estournel, a wine which was curmudgeonly for a long time, but which finally blossomed into something really dazzling, which has made it worth the wait. I prefer it to the highly acclaimed Montrose, a notable absentee from my list. It is a good wine no question, but not good as its cracked up to be and some way behind the 1990 based on my experience. It also suffers in comparison to other wines of similar standing, like for example Ducru 1982. Likewise Calon Segur was below par in 1989.

Further up the Medoc, Sociando Mallet was brilliant in 1989, probably my favourite Sociando of all time based on a vertical tasting in NYC in 2006. Other good wines that did not make my top ten include the two Pichons, both outstanding and the cult that is Lynch Bages 1989. I have had mixed experience with Lynch Bages. Some bottles have been brilliant, mostly drunk at a young age, others have merely very good and others mediocre. Rather unfairly it was matched up against Haut-Brion and La Mission in our NYC horizontal, and it was slaughtered. In St-Julien, it is a bit of mixed bag but the star is Beychevelle. Wines like Leoville Lacsases, Leoville Barton and Gruaud Larose are quite tough and lack charm, in my opinion, while Ducru Beaucaillou was blighted by cork taint in this vintage. 

Ten runners up

20. Bahans Haut-Brion
19. Pape Clement
18. Vieux Chateau Certan
17. Lynch-Bages
16. Pichon Lalande
15. Sociando-Mallet
14. Beychevelle
13. Le Gay
12. Pichon Baron
11. L'Evangile

My top ten clarets of the 1989 vintage:

10. Cos D'Estournel

9. La Mission Haut-Brion

8. Palmer

7. La Conseillante

6. Cheval Blanc

5. La Fleur De Gay

4. Mouton Rothschild

3. Angelus

2. Haut-Brion

1. Lafite

Notable wines not tried

Clinet, Lafleur, Petrus, Le Pin, Trotanoy

Disappointments

Chateau Margaux