29 1989 Bordeaux

[Bucko]

Chuck Miller (WA Wino), Seattle Wine Storage, hosted the PNW version of "Ten years later -- how are the 89s doing?" There were a total of 29 wines (not counting dessert and warmup wines), one was corked and pulled before it hit the tasting (Branaire-Ducru) and one was slightly corked per a couple of tasters (below my threshold). The wines were evaluated in five flights by eleven tasters.

The biggest diappointment of the night -- Latour.
The biggest surprise of the night -- Grand Mayne.
The "best" wine of the night -- Haut Brion.

No notes to bore you to death with, just how the wines placed by flights, with my ranking first and the group ranking second (Chuck has the group tally sheet and can correct any errors). Overall, we thought the 89 vintage was very good indeed, but maybe a little overhyped.

Flight One:
(1) (1) Cos d'Estournel
(2) (4) Sociando-Mallet
(3) (3) Chasse-Spleen
(4) (2) Meyney
(5) (5) Poujeaux

Flight Two:
(1) (4) Talbot
(2) (3) Leoville-Barton
(3) (2) Leoville-Las Cases
(4) (1) Gruaud-Larose
(5) (5) Ducru-Beaucaillou

Flight Three:
(1) (3) Cheval Blanc
(2) (2) La Conseillante
(3) (4) Cantemerle
(4) (1) Grand-Mayne
(5) (5) Le Gay
(6) (6) Soutard

Flight Four:
(1) (2) Clerc Milon
(2) (1) Pichon Lalande
(3) (4) Lynch Bages
(4) (3) Pichon Baron
(5) (5) Latour
(6) (6) Pibran

Flight Five:
(1) (1) Haut-Brion
(2) (3) Mouton-Rothschild
(3) (2) Margaux
(4) (4) Lafite-Rothschild
(5) (5) (tie) Leoville-Las Cases (1990 ringer)
(5) (5) (tie) La Mission-Haut-Brion

We finished with three wonderful dessert wines, the 89 Rieussec being my preference. And a good time was had by all.........

Bucko