Domaine Marc Morey & Fils Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Chenevottes 1989: This mature Chassagne has an attractive, smoky, evolved and nutty nose, although I don't find a lot more complexity than that here. It has a rather dry palate, with a lean substance to it, showing some smoky, funky cheese alongside the leanly-styled fruit. Appealing, fresh, solid and drinking well, although certainly showing its age. I think if this were in my cellar I would have wished I had drunk this some time ago. I certainly don't believe there is anything to be gained by waiting any longer here. Drink up. 15.5/20

Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Champ-Canet 1989: A very solid style of nose here, evolved, somewhat cheesy like the Marc Morey wine that preceded it, and showing some maturing, dried-honey fruit. Very dry on the palate too, but rather more punchy, and showing a good substance through the midpalate, although in a lean, masculine and austere fashion rather than fleshy or welcoming - those days have passed for this wine I think. Nevertheless, holding up well, and with no hint of oxidation either. But were it from my own cellar, I think I would wish I hadn't waited this long. Drink up. 16/20

Domaine Jean Chauvenet Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Vaucrains 1989: This ageing Burgundy has a pale and maturing hue, still with a red core but rather dusty and bricky in a very wide rim. An elegantly soft and sweet nose of maturity, with a little undergrowthy perfume to it. It has a nice presence on the palate, light at the start but then firming up a little in the midpalate. But although it does so the perfume seems to fade away at this point. To be fair this is holding up well but it isn't a tremendously evocative bottle. 15.5/20

Château Montrose (St Estèphe) 1989: Not a vintage of Montrose that I have tasted before. Although this doesn't seem very expressive at first it does soon open up to reveal some very typical but still remarkably tight and youthful, claretty fruit. Incredibly this just doesn't come across as anywhere near ready yet. Nice substance on the palate, quite old school, dry and upright but without any sense of austerity. Well judged fruit here, neither austere nor too sweet. Fine acids here too. This will give a lot of pleasure but for my palate it will benefit from a lot more time in the cellar yet. The longevity of Montrose shouldn't come as a surprise but this impressive showing is still rather unexpected. 18+/20

Château Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac) 1989: Another chance to take a look at '89 Mouton, a wine I last tasted in 2008. There is an immediate sense of Pauillac-Mouton spice here, supple and sweet and openly evolving, so the aromatics alone should be enough to keep Mouton addicts happy. Very harmonious in terms of composition on the palate, composed and almost regal in its comportment. The finish is harmonious and very direct, polished, with a seamless integration of all the components. Not rich or bold, but very elegant and delicious all the same. An impressive Mouton and not one of the most sought-after vintages either. Still room for improvement here too. 18.5+/20

Château Palmer (Margaux) 1989: And now a chance to revisit the '89 Palmer - although I confess it is a decade since I last tasted it! Poured from a magnum. An appealing, light and delicate perfume here, sweet smoke intermingled with notes of violets and thyme. It is remarkable how all three clarets poured here (Mouton, Palmer, Montrose) just don't seem fully mature yet. Supple and well defined on entry, then relaxing in the midpalate where it has a reserved and dry texture, although still with a broad presence of flavour. Savoury and lightly spiced. Stylish composition, very long, full of promise, but for my palate it still has more in the bank to give. 18+/20

Château Rieussec (Sauternes) 1989: An appealing colour although not the most concentrated of golden hues here. The nose has an evolved botrytis character which holds some promise, and on the palate it has more of this apricot-tinged sweetness, although I sense it is a little drier than I expected. There is a nice presence of acidity but it is not the most forthright, giving it a rather soft feel. Good flavour though, and a nicely tangible substance on the palate, with a light grip. Plenty of presence and style, but just a rather soft Sauternes feel to it, especially lined up against Huet's Cuvée Constance in the same vintage. And yet there is probably more evolution to come in terms of flavour and aroma here. 17+/20

Château Montus Madiran Cuvée Prestige 1989: Madiran, principally a blend of Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon, certainly has the necessary structure to age well, as evinced by the second of these bottles (the first was corked). A dark and concentrated hue, and it is still quite glossy at the core; plenty of pigment for sure here. Good nose too, solid and evolved, a touch gamey at the edges. It is correspondingly dense and firm on the palate, very broad and sweet, rather gamey, but darkly concentrated. A touch earthy but with the sweetness alongside it works well. Full and with plenty of solid substance even in the finish. This will go for years and years yet. A remarkable effort from an oft-overlooked and under-rated appellation. 17+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Cuvée Constance 1989: A rich and golden orange hue. A truly fabulous nose, simply loaded with the aromas of crystalline honey, sweet pastries, clean and evocative, with rich, crunchy and well defined fruit and yet it sings of ethereal precision as well. There is great definition and sweetness, all with an intense, precise, smoky, golden-honeycomb lift. This is just remarkable. I lingered over the aromatics of this wine more than any other at this tasting. Pure on entry, defined and rich, supple and yet full of layers of rich botrytis-influenced fruit, this wine has an incredible presence on the palate, very broad and yet it doesn't for one moment feel heavy or flat. It is a tour de force in selection and winemaking, impressing not with power or absolute level of residual sugar but in the way it dances purely across the palate. Absolutely stunning. A class apart. 19/20

Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 1989: Only a mid-gold hue here, despite this wine's age. An evolving sweet and honeyed nose, showing some baked pastille fruit with a stony and minerally edge. Aromatically it remains very concentrated and limey, with a mature character obviously, but presented in a style that still suggests plenty of vigour. A lovely broad sweetness on the palate, well defined and reined in, drying in terms of substance although there is still plenty of flesh and sweetness to it, just not the exuberance of youth. There is a good impact and vibrant acids alongside the sweet limey fruit. And a nicely clean finish, with deliciously tingly minerality and a heart-warming mealiness. Feel free to tuck in now, but this could go for years yet. 17.5+/20

Reichsrat von Buhl Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Auslese 1989: A more golden substance here than the Loosen. Smoky and minerally, with dark and sweet apricot-infused fruit. There follows a fine, upstanding, very solid substance on the palate, bold and firm rather than dynamic, with a slightly sour character to the fruit. An interesting style - this should keep going but I'm not sure it will improve much from here. Drink or hold, although there is little point in the latter I feel. 16.5/20

Marchesi di Grésy Barbaresco Martinenga 1989: A very mature hue here, brick-red-orange, and a very evolved and open nose as well, although it does have some good appeal to it. Smoky, gamey, leathery and spicy it is very true to the style and the winery - the aromas transport me straight back to a tasting in Liverpool with the winemaker Jeff Chilcott which was when I first tasted the Grésy wines six years ago. It has a meaty sense to it. Very solid on the palate, although I feel it is drying out here, with a rather bold and exposed structure, rather like a bare-wood frame, giving the wine piles of grip but without the sweet fruit I was hoping for to balance it. A solid finish though. I don't think this is going anywhere special from here. 15.5/20

Antinori Tignanello (VdT di Toscana) 1989: This wine has a much more promising colour than the Martinenga Barbaresco, which preceded it, and a more impressive array of aromas too. There is a greater sweetness to the fruit, but still with a very typical Sangiovese character of leather and custard powder. An elegant substance on the palate, well defined at first, building a little through the midpalate to show some restrained flesh, very harmonious, with the sweet, leathery complex patina of age to match the nose. This certainly has some appeal, and there is depth and substance here too. An impressive wine which some regard as one of the best examples of Tignanello ever made. I don't have the breath of experience with Tignanello to comment on that, but this is certainly very good indeed. 17.5/20

Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 1989: This stands up very well against the Tignanello of the same vintage. The colour is a step up again, ruby red at the core, out to a fading but not wide bricky rim. Still lots of fruit here on the nose, with the lovely polished sweetness that you get with old Chianti, but still showing substance and a frame of clean elements which belie this wines age. There is a fine almost chewy substance on the palate too, with a more bold structure beneath the leathery and spicy perfume. This has a lot of appeal, and like the Tignanello it still has room to develop further. Lovely. 17/20

Bodegas Piqueras Gran Marius Almansa Gran Reserva 1989: This wine originates from a region of Spain I am unfamiliar with, just inland from Valencia. It has a moderately pale appearance, and is showing clear maturity in this respect. It has an interesting nose, rather crisp and zesty, with crunchy fruit. Very old-school style, with aromas of cherry and orange and cinnamon. These characteristics come through on the palate too , although this is wrapped up in a lean, constricted substance. It doesn't have the polish or the style I would hope for. There doesn't seem to be much more evolution coming here and indeed I suspect this may have been better if approached some time ago. An interesting wine though. 15/20

Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 1989: From a double magnum. The nose has great intensity, showing very immature elements behind the fruit perhaps related to the format as there are notes of crispy crunchy red berries along with little elements of dried toffee. It has a maturing sense to it though, with some softening fruits, showing a more autumnal edge which will with a little time evolve into the patina of age. A solid substance on the palate, very clean fruit here, quite elegant and well defined, but there is a slightly volatile substance behind it which is pervasive and comes through on the finish. This doesn't show quite as well as some of the bottles in my cellar which again may be the format. Good though. 17-18+?/20

Vega Sicilia Unico (Ribera del Duero) 1989: One of the handful of vintages of Unico I have tasted before, in this case seven years ago. The blend is 80% Tempranillo and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. A lovely depth of colour to this, very concentrated at the core. A great nose too, open and evocative, perfumed and still showing a lot of sweet fruit, with a meaty, sweet-preserved meat edge. High-toned, bright, substantial and yet well defined and certainly elegant. The substance on the palate is remarkable, well honed, elegantly formed, broad, sweet and meaty, stylish, polished and very, very long. It culminates in an excellent length which rolls out across the palate. This is super stuff. I was too conservative in estimating a drinking window last time; this will go for years and years yet, but why wait? 18.5/20

Chateau Musar (Bekaa Valley) 1989: A fading red-brick hue, typical for Musar, this being the case on the nose as well as on its appearance. Sweet, gamey, leathery, spicy, smoky, full of cloves and roast meats, with a background vein that is slightly lifted and volatile, this will please fans of Musar everywhere. Quite light now on the palate, with the volatility suggested by the nose, here the aromas matched by evolved and gamey flavours set against a fading and increasingly lean palate. This should keep going for some time yet, although I suspect it is on a slow downwards slope from now on. Very fine though. Drink up - or at least start doing so! 17.5/20

Meerlust Estate Rubicon (Stellenbosch) 1989: This is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc with 18 months in French oak. An attractive, rather obvious, sweet and perfumed blackcurranty fruit. Also rather sweet and substantial on the palate, rounded and polished, with quite a rich wall of fruit and a dry backbone but this is a subtle element of the wine's make-up. Not a great deal of complexity here although it certainly has an attractive composition and it will go for many years yet in the cellar I think. A second bottle was better, more aromatic, displaying more Cabernet Franc-style perfume. Stylish and certainly enjoyable. Quite long too. My score is based on the second bottle. 17/20

Warwick Estate Trilogy (Simonsberg-Stellenbosch) 1989: This vintage is 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc, with 16 months in French oak. The colour has an attractive aged patina, and the nose has an elegant and very open style. Sweet, rather smoky, very perfumed (from the Cabernet Franc again I feel), and well polished. The palate is dry and quite reserved, but with good substance. Broad, not sweet, more appealingly savoury and structured than I expected. It doesn't have much in the way of desirable complexity but it has certainly held up well and would be a pleasure to drink in the right circumstances. 16.5/20

Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) 1989: Still plenty of pigment here giving a good colour. The nose speaks of maturing ripe Cabernet Sauvignon, full of sweet blackcurrant pastille fruit, softening and turning a little gamey, but without a greater depth of complexity that it can take on in other regions. Although to be fair it does have a little leathery edge, albeit a subtle one. Broad and sweet on the palate, but still very nicely composed, softening fruit with a well-honed texture, backed up by a gentle backbone of structure and integrated acidity. Attractive, composed, and rather long. 16.5+/20

Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon (Stag's Leap District) 1989: Sweet and smoky, and showing a rather more gamey character on the nose than some of the other New World offerings at this tasting. More of an overtly mature Cabernet style here too, that gamey character matched by notes of lightly stewed fruit and seasoned meat. A nice substance on the palate, more dried out than I expected in view of the aromatic profile, a little peppery too, with an appealing weight and breadth though. Supple, pleasing but again lacking complexity. Good wine which has held up well though. 16.5/20