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Bordeaux 1990

The third year in a triumvirate of excellent Bordeaux vintages, 1990 produced rich, age worthy wines from across the Bordeaux communes, both left and right banks. Like many of the great vintages for Bordeaux, 1990 was a hot, dry and sunny year.

July and August were near record-breaking months for the region. This was the driest they had been for almost thirty years, and August was the warmest since the commencement of record-keeping in 1928. The following months remained relatively dry, although there were some thunderstorms which passed through the region in September, and October saw scattered showers here and there. The midsummer months had been so hot, however, that many producers were grateful for the rain, as in the drought many vines had shut down metabolism with consequential arrest of grape ripening. The rains allowed the water-stressed vines to recommence metabolism and thus ripening of the grapes. The vast majority of estates proceeded to harvest a bumper crop of ripe, healthy grapes, and some fine wines were in the making.

The vintage was a success across all communes of the region, with only a few chateaux turning in a disappointing wine. The left bank was perhaps a little stronger than the right, but the differences are minor. Many of the red wines have a roasted or baked quality, representing the torrid sun under which the grapes ripened. They have ripe tannins and are often described as having low acidity. The vintage was also a great success for Sauternes, a style which experienced something of a renaissance during the successful vintages of the 1988, 1989 and 1990. (14/5/03)

Bordeaux 1990 - Tasting Notes

Tasted in May 2003. Click to locate stockists:

Chateau Belgrave (Haut-Médoc) 1990: A deep red wine, with a mahogany tinge of maturity. The nose here is earthy, more rustic than the following wines, but also quite complex. Wonderful plum and roasted/macerated summer fruit character, with masculine notes of tobacco leaf. A big, rich, mouthfilling palate with great balance and fluidity. The sweet fruit still lies at the core despite this wines age. Correct structure, with fully integrated tannins just showing a touch on the finish. This is fully mature and ready for drinking now. 17/20

Chateau Camensac (Haut-Médoc) 1990: An attractive dark red with a mature, mahogany tinge. It's not particularly expressive on the nose, and there is the telltale note of cork taint. There are some notes of smoky blackcurrant though. There's great structure and balance on the palate, quite fluid and rich. Nice fatness. Undoubtedly corked though. What a shame, as there's plenty to suggest this would have been a lovely wine. Not rated.

Chateau Cantemerle (Haut-Médoc) 1990: This is one of the paler wines. An intriguing nose, with toffee, orange fruit and a touch of caramel. Structured and balanced palate, quite seamless through the midpalate, with fully integrated tannins. Roasted, spicy black fruits. Not as sweet or as obvious as some of the other wines. Good wine - I enjoyed this more than my last tasting of Cantemerle 1990. Drinking now. 17/20

Chateau La Tour Carnet (Haut-Médoc) 1990: A very similar mahogany-tinged deep red colour. A bit stinky at first, and quite closed, but the nose soon opens out to reveal sweet fruit and a metallic, iron-filing nuance. Good extract and richness on the palate, but not overdone. Sweet rounded texture and correct acidity. Roasted fruits with a meaty character. Drinking now. 17/20

Chateau Pedesclaux (Pauillac) 1990: One of the more youthful looking wines in this line-up. A rich, open nose with plenty of pure although somewhat baked blackcurrant fruit, with a suggestion of sweetness. A lovely balanced palate, good fluidity but with a full, rounded sweetness. Roasted fruits. There is good structure, with tannins still showing on the elegant finish, and correct acidity. This is drinking very well now, but will continue to improve for three to five years. 17+/20

Chateau d'Armailhac (Pauillac) 1990: This is a dark, garnet red hue with a tawny rim. Quite closed on the nose, offering just hints of sweet, roasted fruits. Very nicely structured on the palate, tannins just in the finish. Lovely roundness, rich texture, complete, with sweet and spicy fruits. Firm rather than lush. Drinking well now. 17/20

Chateau Haut-Batailley (Pauillac) 1990: This is a dark wine, which shows some maturity but still has a garnet-red core. A lovely nose, quite rich and open, displaying sweet, nutty, roasted fruits. The palate is big and structured, with plenty of tannins still obvious from the midpalate onwards. Not as sweet or as full as some other wines, but has plenty of mouthfeel. Some cigar-smoke elements alongside the fruit. Classic Haut-Batailley. 17+/20

Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux (Margaux) 1990: A now familiar dark, maturing hue. This is quite distinct from the other wines, with a floral, elegant nose, like rose-petals edged with toffee. Full flavoured palate, with a creamy, fat texture. Plenty of structured to underpin this, with spicy tannins which show especially on the finish. Some elegance is apparent. This is very typical of the commune, and extremely good wine. 18.5/20

Chateau Doisy-Dubroca (Sauternes) 1990: Beautiful orange-gold colour. Marmalade and toast on the nose, with fresh citrus fruit character as well. Fabulously rich palate, flavoursome and structured. Cracking acidity. This is brilliant wine. 18.5/20