1989 Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan
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100JA
100JG
100JS
100RP
100VN
100WS
98DC
97JD
$3,349.99
Pre-Arrival: Estimated to be available for delivery or pickup by 12/31/2026.
12 Available for Purchase
100
Jane Anson
Reviewed July 2024Stacked up against the La Mission 1989, tasted alongisde, the Haut-Brion has more immediate punch, still swinging at the very top of its game, and where La Mission has a softer welcome, showing pure pleasure and finesse, the Haut-Brion remains muscular and dense, even a little closed still on first opening, almost impossible to believe at 35 years. A stunning wine, with spiced depths to the damson, roasted plum and cassis fruits. Expect saffron, tobacco and smoked earth notes, with cigar box, rose petal and liqourice aromatics. The texture remains muscular - more so than last time I drank it, but that was from a home cellar and this is ex-château - and it proves one more time that it deserves to be in the pantheon of 20th century wines. Jean-Bernard Delmas estate director, Jean-Philippe Masclef winemaker.
Professional Reviews
100
John Gilman
It had been more than a decade since I last tasted a bottle of the 1989 Haut-Brion (having absolutely zero interest in opening any bottles out of my cellar before this wine has fully reached apogee), so I was very happy to see it on display at the Hart-Davis-Hart tasting. This is a brilliant wine that has not lost an iota of its luster as it has aged, soaring from the glass in a brilliantly pure and bottomless bouquet of cassis, dark berries, cigar smoke, a very complex base of dark soil tones, Cuban cigars, fresh herbs and a refined base of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and stunningly plush on the attack, with a sappy core of pure fruit, stunning soil signature, ripe, firm tannins and simply brilliant length and grip on the still very young, seamless and boundless finish. This wine has often been compared to the 1959 Haut-Brion, but I have to believe that the 1989 will be even better when it reaches its peak of maturity! This is still a very young wine (far less evolved than the superb 1990) and I would not touch a bottle for at least another dozen years or more. It should last close to a century.
100
James Suckling
This continues to be a perfect wine with a beautiful, dense character of tobacco and sweet fruits. Chocolate, toasted walnuts and flowers here too. It's full-bodied with velvety tannins. Lasts for minutes on the palate.
100
Wine Advocate
A spectacular wine that only goes from strength to strength, and which ranks among the pinnacles of my birth year vintage, the 1989 Haut-Brion wafts from the glass with a rich bouquet of blackberries, blackcurrants, cigar wrapper, loamy soil, black truffle, burning embers and vine smoke. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's sumptuous and dramatic, with huge reserves of fruit that are complemented by carnal, savory nuances and framed by melting tannins and ripe acids. Concluding with a long, resonant finish, the only criticism one can make is that a 750-milliliter bottle simply isn't enough. (WK)
Notes
In the 1855 classification, Haut-Brion was the only estate outside the Médoc included among the first growths. Its gravel vineyards lie in Pessac, near the city of Bordeaux; the 1989 vintage was made under the direction of Jean-Bernard Delmas.
Details
| Type | Red Wine |
|---|---|
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends |
| Origin | Pessac-Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux, France |
| Bottle Size | 750 mL |
| SKU | 2068827 |
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