Château Haut-Brion 1989

1989 Haut Brion – This wine achieved 99 points three times for me in 2021.  It almost gets taken for granted given its youth compared to the other Bordeaux that usually crack this list, but make no mistake about it, this is one of the best Bordeaux ever made.  Here is my best note from last year:
Another monumental bottle of this wine!  I don’t think I have ever had more bottles of a specific wine that have consistently scored as great as the 1989 Haut Brion.  I mean, occasionally this wine scores 98 or 98+ and not 99.  Never 97!  And I must have had it 50 times.  It will forever be one of the greatest Bordeaux ever made in my lifetime.  Let's get back to the actual note.  'Nose so good' is how mine started; the song remained the same.  There were so many minerals, wheat and what I deemed great compost.  The fruit flashed sweetness like meaningful eye contact from across the room.  'So good' appeared again, followed by 'the best'.  There was a tasty nuttiness to its divine finish. 

One cannot say enough about this gorgeous Haut-Brion that leaves one speechless. The wine combines power, intensity, complexity and depth with incredible finesse. I’ve tasted this wine many times and each time, the wine is perfect, magical. Still youthful, this wine has at least 30+ years ahead.

Und im dritten Glas war noch eine weitere, moderne Legende, der 1989 Haut Brion, einer der größten, jemals erzeugten Haut Brions. Das ist ein Gigant, der praktisch alles hat, Tiefe, Komplexität, Länge, enormen Druck und vor allem diese explosive, typische Haut Brion Aromatik mit purer, dunkler Frucht, etwas Eukalyptus, viel Tabak, Leder, Teer und Zigarrenkiste, sogar schon etwas generöse Süße. Und warum habe ich dem diesmal nur WT99 gegeben? Weil ich das Gefühl hatte, dass dieser Haut Brion, der sich im Gegensatz zu den anderen Premier Crus des Jahrgangs nie komplett verschlossen hat, sich jetzt ganz dezent zurückgezogen zeigte. Das kann passieren und wird von Flasche zu Flasche unterschiedlich sein. Aber das sollte nicht davon abhalten, diesen epischen Wein wo immer sie in finden hemmungslos zu genießen, jetzt und die nächsten 30+ Jahre.

The bouquet is simply jaw dropping and words flail trying to capture it: ravishing, ethereal and profound. Blackberries, cassis, iodine, violets and licorice, later touches of oyster shell, the aromatics arrest and lure you. It opens with a breathtaking confection of tobacco, cedar and anise, the palate is full bodied, perfectly balanced with a beguiling sense of harmony that is impossible to encapsulate. Filigree tannins, sandalwood, graphite and tobacco, lingering at and past the mid palate. Cassis and dark berries next, it finishes with fairly plush, seamless, boundless appeal, it is hard to properly fathom its brilliance as showcased in this evening’s bottle. 99 Points+