1989 Chambertin
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Tasting notes
Last bottle of a case bought from Farr Vintners in 1993. Convincingly branded cork came out smoothly except for a few tiny fragments. Described in this account of a strange Christmas in a pandemic. Christmas Day: Pale rust colour. Nose light at first but grew over the two or three hours since pulling the cork. Mushrooms and violets. Far from emphatic or big, and probably on the way down but it really grew with time to offer charming sweetness and a real build on the finish. Not a hint of Rhône or north Africa! Burgundian purity with a seriously impressive spread of tertiary fruit on the end. Tamarind? Really clean and pure. A beautiful accompaniment to our half-turkey and cranberry jelly for two on the strange Christmas Day of 2020. So long! Boxing Day: The 20 cl or so left in the bottle are quite brown now and there is masses of fine sediment. There's an increase in both perfume and acidity: a difficult trade-off. It's still beautifully aromatic but is, not surprisingly, losing fruit. Delicate rather than majestic. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 1989 Chambertin Grand Cru has a startling bouquet that is quite gamey and savory in style, a hint of hickory and soy, dark berried fruit with Provençal herbs. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky texture, fine tannins and superb focus. Even though it does not have the complexity of say the 1996 or 2005 Chambertin on the finish, it is blessed with a beguiling symmetry that is irresistible. Given the hint of dryness I would not leave this for an extended period...but what a lovely wine. Tasted at the Rousseau dinner in London.
This is a gorgeous bottle of the 1989 Chambertin. Sweet, perfumed and silky on the palate, the 1989 is all finesse. Aeration helps a touch of reduction blow off, after which the 1989 shows off its refined personality to great effect. I find lovely precision and nuance laced throughout. This bottle has a bit more fruit and mid-palate depth than other recent examples have shown.
About the producer
Based in Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Armand Rousseau is one of Burgundy’s most famous estates. Revered for making unearthly expressions of Pinot Noir, the estate’s wines are some of the most collectable in the world.