Château Beychevelle 1989

Both the 1989 and 1990 wines scored slightly lower than in previous tastings. In contrast to the 1990, the 1989 Beychevelle, which usually performs better than it did in the recent tasting, is an elegant, medium-bodied wine with soft tannin, copious quantities of ripe, herb-tinged, blackcurrant fruit, some evidence of toasty oak, and a generous, velvety-textured finish. It appears to be evolving quickly, and can be drunk now as well as over the next 15 years.

There is so much tobacco and red fruit on the nose of this wine. Exotic and decadent. Full-bodied, with a sleek and racy tannin structure and fresh acidity. Refreshing and clean, yet mature and wild. Still one of the big surprises of the vintage. -- '89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. 25,000 cases made.

The 1989 Beychevelle repeats its performance from a blind tasting in London earlier in 2018. It has an old-school bouquet of dusky black fruit, morels and that light seawater note. The palate is medium-bodied with quite sharp tannin and rustic in style, featuring leathery red fruit and iron ore, though as I noted before, it has faded in recent years and I cannot see much benefit in cellaring this longer. Tasted from an ex-cellar bottle at the château.

Dirty cherries, earth and wood. This was a one dimensional, boring wine

90: Barrel sample (15/20): Dense nose, full-bodied and quite complex (raspberries). On the palate, the raspberry notes are confirmed. Well balanced. A fine, elegant wine. Also on arrival with the same score: open nose, burnt sugarcane, caramel, butter, cedar, currants, showing overripe grapes. The smoky, toasty character dominates both nose and palate. Could have more concentration. Average! 95: Next to the lean ’88, it was almost really fun. Now in its prime drinking window. 16/20 drink – 2008

Reserved bouquet with notes of spice and flowers. Balanced, full-bodied, finely structured palate with plenty of silky tannins. Fine, long finish. 18/20

Deep red color. Blood-like. Slightly brownish. Bright. Good intensity. Nose of medium intensity. Toasted. Woody. A bit rustic. Hint of alcohol. A little heavy when swirled. A soft, subtle attack that develops into a fine, delicate mouthfeel. A slow, creamy evolution on a powerful, well-concentrated structure, leading to a very tasty, highly aromatic finish from mid-palate onward. Cherry and fine chocolate on the finish, very fruity. A lovely wine. More finesse than Lagrange. No bitterness.