Buying options
Tasting Notes
Medium to deep brick colored, the 1989 Chateau Margaux is a little sluggish and broody to begin, reluctantly releasing notes of cigar box, charcoal, dried herbs, and damp soil, before revealing a core of dried cherries, leather, and prunes. The medium-bodied palate has lightly chewy tannins and a refreshing backbone supporting the savory flavors, finishing provocatively chalky.
Critic Scores
Average Score
James Molesworth, Wine Spectator
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 1989 Château Margaux showed beautifully, with a ripe, open, sexy style in its red and black fruits, saddle leather, savory herbs, and spicy, incense-like nuances. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it has a nicely balanced, elegant mouthfeel, resolved tannins, and a great finish. It's clearly in the heart of its prime drink window and should have a graceful evolution over the coming decades, with a gradual decline thereafter.
The 1989 Château Margaux is old school on the nose with dark berry fruit, saddle leather, iodine and a touch of wild mint. It's much more loose-knit than the 1990, which I personally prefer. The palate is well balanced with a sweet entry, not amazingly complex yet refined and delicate in the style of, say, Lafite-Rothschild. It gently builds toward a very harmonious but not robust tobacco-tinged finish. Drinking perfectly now this will not get better. Tasted at the château.
The texture stands out straight away - smooth and light but direct with a thrilling vibrancy still to the flavours and acidity in this wine. Sour cherry, salted caramel, a touch of balsamic strawberry, still with remarkable concentration. Fresh, bright and linear with a graphite and wet stone touch at the end putting you back in the Médoc on gravel terroir. 5% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
About the producer
Ch. Margaux is one of Bordeaux’s most historic and famous estates. The only classified First Growth in Margaux, it epitomises the appellation’s elegance, while producing wines with fantastic ageing potential.