TN: 1989 Château Haut-Brion Blanc

WINE TALK
1

I opened this bottle two weeks ago. I had high expectations that weren’t quite met. I don’t think extended greater aeration would have helped, but you never know. The label has a fun little note mentioning it was the first harvest of HBB completed in August since 1893, and that the Chateau considers it to be a special wine.


  • 1989 Château Haut-Brion Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (8/14/2015)
    Beautiful lemony-yellow and golden color. Very tight on the nose right out of the bottle, but giving dry tropical/coconut notes with a little swirling. This initially coats every corner of the mouth with a somewhat waxy/lanolin mouthfeel–qualities that contribute to a pleasing finish. This bottle was decanted and re-sampled at various points over 6-7 hours and never seemed to give a whole lot more than it did up front. While it is correct and quite nice to drink, it lacks an extra dimension to distinguish it as a truly great wine.

Posted from CellarTracker

2

Bummer. Provenance of the bottle?

3

The bottle was sound–not an issue of provenance. It was sourced 5-6 years ago from Manhattan Wine Company. Bottle was pristine–spinning capsule, etc. And no specific faults, just no fireworks.

4

C’est la vie! Bummer though

5

This was a near 100 point wine up to about 2010, but it has faded since. And my bottles were sourced 20 years ago. I don’t think white Graves, even the noblest, lives forever. The '89 Laville gave up the ghost a long time ago.