Vinous - Score: 100 (2019 September)

The 1989 Haut-Brion remains one of the outstanding achievements of the decade, and it consistently flirts with perfection. I was fortunate to taste the wine three times over the space of six months, though this tasting note comes from a bottle poured at the château by Jean-Philippe Delmas – the first time I had ever tasted an ex- château bottle. It is a fabulous wine. Showing little maturity in terms of bricking, it has a fabulous bouquet of graphite, clove and tobacco aromas that burst from the glass, perhaps with a little more amplitude than others I have tasted. The palate is perfectly balanced, displaying amazing depth and perfect acidity, and (unsurprisingly, given its provenance) youthful and seemingly with many chapters to go. More floral elements emerge with time: violets on the nose and then later, a taste of eau-de-vie toward the finish. An astonishing wine that will give many more years of pleasure. Tasted from an ex- château bottle at the estate.