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Wine Description
The Story
Cave Privée 1989 is made up of wines from 25 Grands and Premiers Crus from regions in the Montagne de Reims, the Grande Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs.
The blend: 66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay
Dosage: 6 g/l
Vintage report: 1989 marked the return of the hot, dry vintages, similar to the legendary years of 1945, 1959 and 1964. After very early budding, the vines suffered from a cold spell. On April 27, a severe spring frost hit a large section of the Champagne vineyard.
The Vallée de la Marne and the East of the Montagne de Reims suffered enormous damage, whereas the Côte des Blancs remained intact. Overall, thanks to its very advantageous location in the heart of the best vineyards in Champagne, the House vineyard was spared. Later on, summer conditions set in, allowing the vine to regain its normal cycle. A few cold days, when the vines were in the sensitive flowering period, temporarily clouded our hopes for a good quality harvest. But these worries soon disappeared as exceptional weather soon set in and continued for a long time. From mid-June right up to harvesting, there was a succession of hot sunny days. The first grapes, ripened in perfect conditions, were picked on September 4 in our Côte des Blancs Grands Crus. The Pinots Noirs and the Meuniers were left to ripen a few more days before picking, which gave grapes of perfect quality in an excellent state of health. In the end, an average degree of 10° GL was obtained for the whole of the vineyard, with some vines even approaching 11° GL.
Wine Information
A lovely bronze/golden tinge to the colour. Effervescence is fine and long-lasting. An impressive nose that is intense and exceedingly rich, complex and concentrated from the start. Two types of fruit notes dominate: candied - almost cooked - fruits and citrus fragrances. Aerating the wine reveals vanilla notes of rare elegance, underpinned by mineral scents. On the palate, a forthright first impression quickly gives way to the structure. Hints of liqueur and candied citrus give the wine beautiful freshness. A voluptuous, long finish.
Vintage 1990
Three excellent vintages in Champagne were 1988, 1989 and 1990. Initially, many considered 1990 the finest of the trio, but that mantle has since passed to 1988. Some of the 1990 champagnes have evolved more quickly than anticipated, and there can be variation among bottles and producers. Winter and early spring saw warm weather that resulted in an early bud-break, making vines susceptible to the spring frost which duly arrived in April. This led to some uneven ripening and differing levels of maturity owing to the second generation of grapes that appeared after the frost damage and thus ripened later. The summer was generally dry and warm, which produced big, powerful, concentrated and full-flavoured wines.