Cheval Blanc 1989 (6.0L)

98 DE / 95 VM / 18.5 JR 

Cheval Blanc saw 25% less rainfall than average in this vintage. Summer was hot but not a heatwave – the grapes were brought in from 7 September to 5 October, the earliest harvest date in the 20th century, and there are clear hints of prune and fig, but with menthol and eucalyptus touches that give it a fresh lift and suggest that blockages of maturity just might have been the key to its longevity. Concentrated, sexy, opulent, lifted through the finish, just smoky enough. The blend, by the way, is not exact because Cabernet Sauvignon was counted with the Cabernet Franc right up until 2014. However, plantings were recorded as 54% Merlot and 46% Cabernet Franc, with a high yield of 50hl/ha (the average between 1946 and 2014 is 33hl/ha, so this is significant). Still in the fullest grip of life.-Jane Anson, Decanter

The 1989 Cheval Blanc is a vintage that I have not encountered since 2010. One bottle opened was rustic and fatigued, and Pierre-Olivier Clouet opened a second that was much better. It has a gorgeous bouquet of ample red fruit, morels, black truffle, cigar box and hints of brown sugar, all very well defined and charming. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin and approaching full maturity; brown spices, bay leaf and clove infuse the red berry fruit. At 30 years of age, I suspect this 1989 will not improve further, but its robustness suggests that any decline will be graceful. Tasted from an ex-cellar bottle at the château.-Neal Martin, Vinous Media, tasted 9/19

Bricky garnet and quite a broad bricky rim. Highly aromatic, fragrantly leafy and lightly floral but with a more savoury note of liquorice too. Tannins are still dense though fully rounded. This has a firm texture and an impressive savoury finish yet retains that fragrance right across the palate. Later: stronger liquorice notes but still so scented and elegant on the mid palate.- Julia Harding MW, Jancis Robinson