The colour is deep ruby and bright, only slightly turning into garnet. On the nose cigar box, pencil shavings, spices. After some time, the bouquet turns fruitier, with blueberries, black cherries and black berries coming on stage. In the mouth very elegant, almost light. The tannins are silky. Despite the 37 years of age, this wine is still very fresh. The aftertaste is pleasantly fruity and, although subtle, it lasts for a long time.
The 1989 Lafite Rothschild is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot.
For Bordeaux in general, the 1989 was a unique vintage. The summer was hot, sunny and dry. The hottest on record in ages. With a harvest start date of August 31, 1989 Bordeaux was the product of one of the earliest harvests in history. It provided numerous examples of stellar Bordeaux. There was a lot of wine too. It was a large harvest for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes.
In 1989 I was 16 years old and the second year into college. It is around the time I started drinking, although it wasn’t wine yet (my first alcoholic beverage has been beer).
1989 was the year of the fall of the Berlin Wall and of the (alleged) Tiananmen Square massacre. In 1989 Amazon, Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter didn’t exist. The World Wide Web was first invented in 1989. That year US inflation was running at 5% and the FED rates were as high as 10%.
I received this bottle as a gift. It sells at AVU for 905 CHF.
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Type: Red
Vintage: 2010
Producer: Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Price range: Luxury (>100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 5/5