Decanted for 2 hours and thoroughly enjoyed over the next 3 hours this wine was hitting on all cylinders last night. Classic nose of cassis, pencil shavings, earth and licorice. Flavors pretty much follow the nose with cassis, dark cherry, cedar, tobacco and a touch of smoke. Medium body, good concentration, nice acidity, drinking very well now with no danger of decline.
Match made in heaven with a huge tender and flavorful Tomahawk Steak, pureed root vegetables and Brussel sprouts. Wonderful wine and meal.
I dragged one to Sun Valley last fall and drank with friends. It was great, and we found out that the restaurant comps corkage for wines over ten years old!
Tonight I tasted not the 1989 Pichon Baron, but the 1989 Pichon Lalande:
Color: light to medium red at the core, getting lighter and more orang-y at the rim.
Highly complex noise of red currants, spice, dark soil, smoke, a little mushroom funk at first which blew off, white tea and dried white mulberries. On the palate the wine is silky smooth and has a fun noticeable tanginess which adds verticality to the midpalate of the wine.
Not as knock-your-socks-off as the notes about the PB but very nice.
What a Wine!
I opened as a birth year wine a double magnum for my son’s 21st birthday with all his college friends. Stunning and still a baby compared to the numerous 750s I have had. I go back and forth between this and the 1990. The 90 is a bit richer.
I’ve had the joyous pleasure of the 1989 PB twice this year and both times it showed as you described. So deep and regal, yet kind of textbook at the same time. WOTN in strong company on both occasions. I honestly think it could go 20 more years. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for note, this is second favorite of 1988 - 1990 trio…but love them all, 1990, 1989, 1988 in that order. Lynch Bages had a stellar run this 3 year run too.
