Bordeaux 1989: Tasting in 2000
As I have written in my vintage review, 1989 was as close to the perfect growing season as you could perhaps hope for. Persistently warm and sunny weather, punctuated with occasional showers sufficient prophylaxis against the hydric stresses that would otherwise come with drought. Having given a nod to the left bank communes in that introduction, and specifically commented on lesser achievements in Margaux, it was instructive in this tasting to take a look at that commune in particular, sampling half a dozen wines of the appellation, together with two near neighbours that qualify as Haut-Médoc.
On the night Château Palmer was streets ahead, although there was also a very good showing from Château Brane-Cantenac, one of the usual suspects in the litany of under-performing Margaux châteaux.
Not so here, any prejudices having been accounted for by our usual blind-tasting rigmarole. In fact, across the tasting, all the wines performed very well indeed. I can not of course extrapolate such a focused assessment to comment on the vintage as a whole, nevertheless I feel that these wines certainly give an indication of the quality that this vintage has always had to offer. (21/5/00)
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