1989 Domaine de Chevalier

Drinking at point yet with very little bricking in its ruby hue, the 1989 Domaine De Chevalier has a solid bouquet of ripe yet mature, smoky red and black fruits, green tobacco, sappy flowers, and a touch of iron and subtle bloody-like nuances that develop with time in the glass. Medium-bodied, supple, elegant, and balanced on the palate, it has integrated acidity, resolved tannins, and a distinct salty minerality on the finish. This classy, regal Chevalier is not going to get any better, but I suspect it has another decade of prime drinking and a gradual decline thereafter. I've tasted Domaine de Chevalier at 100 years of age that still had life, so there's no denying the quality and longevity provided by this terroir. The blend of the 1989 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc.

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Harvested 9 to 30 September. Deep core, lighter at the rim. Aromatically mature but bold in style. Generous fruit on the palate but freshness as well. Tannins still present but refined. Perhaps a hint of liquorice. Still going strong. (JL)

The 1989 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge is a vintage that I have encountered several times previously and certainly has more charm than the 1995. Quite deep in colour, it has a winsome bouquet with black fruit, warm gravel, black truffle and smoky notes, becoming increasingly animally with time. The palate is medium-bodied and actually reminded me of the 1989 Haut-Brion, albeit without the same structured and depth. Notes of raspberry preserve, veins of earthiness with leather and cedar towards the finish, this is probably now à point. It is not quite the best bottle of the 1989 I have drunk, yet it remains a really lovely Domaine de Chevalier.