Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1989

JAMES SUCKLING: "Freshly picked blackberries turn into minty dark chocolate and oozing caramel with domineering eucalyptus on the nose. It becomes yet more complex on the palate thanks to layers upon layers of spices and sage plus fat and rounded tannins. There's a long finish with a bitter aftertaste, suggesting this could do with another 10 years or more of bottle aging. This is a Mouton I found massive at the time, then elegant and slightly austere years later, but today true to its former glory. Like the amazing 1947, it should not be forgotten."

DECANTER: "An extremely early year for the property, with harvest from 6-25 September. One to savour, it has the signature smoked, toasted glamour of Mouton, with cappuccino, crushed bilberry and blackberries, pliable tannins, and a drawn-out finish that gets better and better in the glass. The label, by the way, featured Georg Baselitz, a German painter, to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Shows so much ripe and decadent fruit on the nose, from dried berries and raisin to strawberry and sultana. There is a nutty, cedar undertone as well. Very complex and full-bodied, with lots of vanilla bean and ripe plum flavors. This is almost Burgundian in texture: so soft and so attractive, but then the Bordeaux tannins kick in at the end. What a wine. So much ahead in its life, but just coming around now.--'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. 25,000 cases made."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Notably dark ruby with a blackish tinge. Dense, exotic cassis nose. Lots of ripe fruit but no obvious sweetness. Clearly a very fine, long-living wine. Attractive freshness on the finish. Very persistent. No hint of tiring or furry, indistinct fruit – unlike some 1989s. Complex classic claret. No hint of modernism. Attractive spicy note on the end. Very neat."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Tasted from magnum and presented by Baron Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, the 1989 Château Mouton-Rothschild might not reach the ethereal heights of the 1982 or 1986, but it is certainly a lovely Claret. It has an attractive, slightly leafy bouquet armed with cedar and pencil lead. There is less fruit concentration than I expected, resolutely classic, slightly austere Bordeaux. The palate follows suit. What it lacks in substance it compensates with in balance and personality. This is an understated Mouton-Rothschild that is probably at its peak, although I envisage this offering another two decades of pleasure. Whilst this showing did not replicate some glorious bottles in the past, it remains a very fine Claret that may not be inclined to improve any further. Tasted February 2016."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Disappointing for a First Growth. The issue here is the over-riding sensation of greenness on the nose and palate. The spicy cassis is fresh and straddles the line between sweet and tart, and you also find strong notes of cedar and tobacco. But the intensity of the herbal and pepper notes in the finish really stand out. Lovers of those characteristics will enjoy this more than I did."