This was tasted in Jan/2003 - one of my early exposures to primo Bordeaux so I'm noticeably excited...

1989 Haut Brion

The wine was opened and about half its contents were decanted, the other half was left in the bottle to air. The wine was initially tasted upon opening, and then at intervals of 10min, 25min, 45min and after an hour, fully-enjoyed. I was anxious to get a feel for the changes in this wine as it "opened up."

Initially (as I imagine is expected) the wine had a more hearty bouquet of smoky cedar. It seemed like after about 45 minutes the ever so slight "edge" of the wine faded and and its luscious flavor was blooming.

My notes were:

Bouquet of smoky cedar, plum, black fruits gives way to an explosive black cherry sensation reminscent of a slightly-sour cherry Jolly Rancher hard candy, with virtually no smoky/cedar aftertone. The incredibly rich and hintingly chewy tannins lose themselves in an explosion of black fruit in your mouth that leaves the tongue in a sort of numbness anticipative of the next sip experience.

I was regularly reminded of this amazing intense cherry smell/taste sensation - it really reminded me of those Jolly Rancher candies: such an intense explosion of flavor that ones' taste buds are almost in shock. This is the best way I can explain it. And sip after sip the sensation continued - I kept expecting it to subside to no avail. There was this powerful *sensation* of sweetness with an amazingly tight and smooth finish that didn't make the wine "taste" sweet, as it was more of an olfactory sensation, but so intense that it was almost as if the wine was candy! Aftertaste lasted at least 1:20, and I am convinced that the wine's effect on my palate was so pronounced that it was really difficult to say, even after several minutes, whether the aftertaste of the wine actually decayed. I honestly have never experienced anything like it.

This bottle of wine was consumed over the next 2-3 hours and I did my best to ID any changes in time. My feeling is this wine is drinking perfectly. The color was a deep purple to ruby red. It might be a source of contention as to whether the edge of the wine showed any trace of its 14th year of aging - if any it was slight.

Later in the day it became obvious that one amazing bottle of wine wasn't enough so the 1986 Lafite was also opened. It was presented in a manner similar to the Haut Brion.

1986 Lafite Rothschild

There was at least 2-3 hours (and a meal) between the Haut Brion and the Lafite, and I did my absolute best to approach the Lafite with as neutral a palate as I could muster. Unfortunately, my repeated attempt to ID this wine as anything substantially different from the Haut Brion was not terribly effective. I am not sure if I was paralyzed by the Haut Brion, or, more likely in my opinion, the 86 Lafite is very, very similar in most respects to the Haut Brion. Since the Haut Brion had such a profound impact on me, I can best describe the Lafite as a comparison to the Haut Brion: both had a smoky, mineral, cedar bouquet, infused with explosive dark fruits and a dominant cherry impression. Whereas the Haut Brion oozed deep black cherry, the Lafite oozed a brighter, creamy, maraschino cherry impression.

I wouldn't have characterized the 86 Lafite as being overly tannic by any means. Yes, the tannins are not as tightly/smoothly integrated but it's far from being obtrusive. It is more tannic than the Haut Brion, and a few more years will probably mellow it out but this wine in my experience is most certainly drinkable. It's not as wholly developed as the Haut Brion, but I am not convinced that the 86 Lafite would match or beat the Haut Brion over any period of time.

Sadly, I have to admit, the Lafite's magnificance was overshadowed by the perfection of the Haut Brion, and I could almost cry because as I tasted the Lafite I knew that there were probably very few wines that I could have tasted prior that would have made me feel this way. In almost any other circumstance, the Lafite might have been scored a 100, and I did taste this wine autonomously several months ago and at the time it was the most amazing wine I ever sampled, but not today. I feel that it was probably a crime to drink both of these wines on the same day, because the Lafite simply could not touch the Haut Brion. I saw a review of 99 for the Lafite and 100 for the Haut Brion.. I think that's probably very fair, but the Haut Brion, to be able to make the Lafite pale in comparison three hours later, probably warrants a 104! The Lafite's brilliance was there to see and appreciate - I can't take anything away from it, but I think I touched God when I drank the Haut Brion.

Nice note. Your excitement is actually inspirational...makes me all the more want to try some great first growths from the 80s.

Great note Michael. Shannon here (*you may not know all of our monikers). May I repeat that you ARE the man for sharing your lovely wines! Not only are your notes inspirational but the wines were as well.

The '89 Haut Brion was my WOTW (wine of the weekend). It was just beautiful in all respects. If there is a "perfect" 100 pointer this was it.

More soon....must regain strength...

Welcome on board Michael. Thank you for the excellent TN's.

Many thanks to Michael for bringing this to the Mag. party in New Orleans.

What a special treat it was to be able to taste this. Some light bricking around a nice dark red core, there is a big nose showing strawberries, cherries, spice, and brush. Still tannic and young, with a good gripping palate and complex flavors showing some coffee and light chocolate notes. The finish on this wine is simply phenomenal, going on seemingly forever. A beautiful wine, 96 points.

Michael,

These are two of my favorite wines that I have ever enjoyed. Without a doubt, 1989 Haut Brion is in my top ten, and 1986 Lafite makes the top fifty. Welcome to the space....