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Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 1989

AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Vallée du Rhône, France

"Perhaps the greatest Beaucastel ever produced. Has the class and structure of a great vintage of Mouton-Rothschild. Deep, inky in color, with intense herb, plum, game and spice aromas, this full-bodied wine has an explosion of fruit and an iron backbone. Try the beginning of next century.--Châteauneuf-du-Pape retrospective. Best from 1995 through 2005. 25,000 cases made. "

"The 1989 is inkier/purple in color than the 1990, with an extraordinarily sweet, rich personality offering up notes of smoke, melted licorice, black cherries, Asian spices, and cassis. Full-bodied and concentrated, it is one of the most powerful as well as highly extracted Beaucastels I have ever tasted. It requires another 3-4 years to reach its plateau of maturity, where it should remain for at least two decades. (Many purchasers have reported bottle leakage (due to a cork problem) with this vintage. I purchased two cases of this wine, but none of my bottles reveal any sign of leakage. A good friend of mine, Dr. Jay Miller, owner of Bin 604 Wine Sellers in Baltimore, has consistently had a problem with “corked” bottles of the 1989, but no leakage.) "

"So delicate and perfumed and yet still well structured on the palate. Seems much younger than the 1990. Graceful, silky, juicy and lingering and hardly any undergrowth or leather as yet. A beautiful wine."

"This wine is now at its best, revealing finesse and roundness with a persistent mouth and great length. Stand the bottle upright 48 hours before serving to avoid any deposit. "

"Perfectly medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of bacon fat, cedar, and garrigue, with a hint of redcurrant fruit. In the mouth gorgeous flavors of exotic woods, smoked meats, raspberries, cherry and wet stones swirl in a beautiful melange. Incredible breadth and length, with a phenomenal seamlessness and balance. Stunning mineral and cedar finish. "

"The nose combines freshness and rich vegetation. Silky and ample, the mouth has character with a beautiful tenseness, fruity notes and a spicy finish. It accurately represents the expression of the terroir and the appellation. To keep for an evolution of its characters, but it is also a great wine to serve with a gastronomic meal."

"This is a floral and elegantly complex edition of this wine with dried meat and leather, iron and graphite, tobacco and dry spices. More elegant palate than the 1990, it has a very fine stream of red fruit and spiced cherries and a central, linear focus. The flavors hold so very long, deeply concentrated and focused. The fruit livens up at the finish and opens very impressively. Drink now."