Chateau Margaux 1989

97 Points - Decanter

The texture stands out straight away - smooth and light but direct with a thrilling vibrancy still to the flavours and acidity in this wine. Sour cherry, salted caramel, a touch of balsamic strawberry, still with remarkable concentration. Fresh, bright and linear with a graphite and wet stone touch at the end putting you back in the Médoc on gravel terroir. 5% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. (GH

97 Points - Wine Spectator

This is about as alluring as it gets aromatically, with singed alder, juniper, bay and charcoal notes out front, hinting at power but turning beguiling as they flow into the core of steeped red currant, dried currant and black tea. The charcoal note makes an encore, with a lovely twinge of old-school character holding the finish. Always a great debate vis-à-vis the '90, but the slightly darker profile here gives this wine a lovely bit of extra drama. *Ranked #3 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 1992* (JM

92 Points - Wine Advocately nose at first, initially disjointed but melding together with scents of blackberry, hawthorn and clay/wet cement. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, although this is not a complex Margaux. It has pert acidity and fine minerality, although it does not have the length or depth of Cos d’Estournel ’89 tasted alongside. The finish is a little foursquare and dominated by cedar and tobacco flavours that continue to lend it a Pauillac-like personality. (NM