Dinner in Solana Beach with 1989 Petrus - Tasting Notes

A very generous friend opened a 1989 Petrus at dinner last night from an original case he purchased 9 years ago. He said this was the 9th bottle he has opened and the first 8 were all amazing.

There has been a debate of which RP100 Petrus is better, 1989 or 1990. I have always been partial to the 1990 vintage myself, as across the board in both the left and right banks, 1990 is sweeter and more ready to drink than 1989. That said, this 1989 Petrus was “singing” from first whiff, to sadly, the last sip.

We decided not to decant this gem, as I wanted to see how it was doing right out of the bottle, then watch it do its thing over an hour or so. From first pour, a sweet, ethereal perfume of black fruit came out of the glass that reminded me little of fruit cake, or how others have described the 1947 Cheval Blanc. It was accompanied by light scorched earth with a hint of cedar. Building over the meal, it never really reached what I believe is its full potential.

On the palate, it was pure silk and became more massive with time. The richness was indescribable, with sweet fruit that saturated the palate, but without heaviness. This was about as perfect as Merlot can be, as each sip begged for the next, with a finish that went on for days. Paired with Wagyu beef, I still can’t believe we were drinking this on a casual Thursday evening.

I have not had the 1990 for about 7 or 8 years, but this 1989 Petrus was perfect in every way and lived up the hype. It's just sad that at $5000 plus per bottle, it is out of the reach of most wine lovers, but if your budget can afford it, it is worth the price of admission.

 

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