Chateau Leoville Las Cases 1989

WEINWISSER: "Dunkles, sattes Purpur. In der Nase ein intensives, nach Walnüssen, schwarzen Pralinen und Palisanderholz duftendes Bouquet, schwarze Pfefferkörner, Geschmack von Zimtstangen, Kardamomtouch, Rauchtöne, enorm würziges Terroir, sehr komplexes Nasenbild. Fleischiger Gaumen, feste und den Körper stützende Gerbstoffe, wieder eine ausufernde Aromatik, Malagatrauben, Brombeeren, Cassis, fett, viel Charme zeigend, Cabernet-Süsse im druckvollen Finale, noch sehr viel Reserve."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Very ripe, with raisin and dried fruits on the nose. You can smell the sun-dried grapes. Full-bodied, delivering firm tannins and a very fresh palate. Long and flavorful, offering currant, berries and all sorts of dark fruits, but turns lightly earthy and floral. This is a thoroughly complex wine. Just starting to really open into the mature 20-year-old wine it is, but such a great life ahead of it. Muscular."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Brick red. Lots of mushroom and leaf mulch on the nose and palate and still a lovely fruit sweetness even if the primary fruit has gone. Extremely fine grip to the tannins, still has perfect balance and lots of youthful energy even with the mature flavours. "

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "One of the most youthful wines of the vintage, the 1989 Léoville Las Cases unwinds in the decanter and glass with aromas of blackcurrant and pencil shavings, framed by a discrete patina from its aging in oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and tightly wound, it's impressively pure and vibrant, though it lacks the mid-palate plenitude of the vintage's best wines, displaying a touch of tannic asperity on the finish. I wouldn't be surprised to see it continue to improve with further aging, though my sense is that the Cabernet Sauvignon might have been picked a little prematurely in this vintage."