Chateau Haut-Brion Bordeaux blend Bordeaux Pessac-Leognan 1989 3L

This continues to be one of the immortal wines and one of the greatest young Bordeaux wines of the last half-century. Consistently prodigious and almost a sure bet to top the scoring card of any blind tasting of this vintage as well as other years, the 1989 Haut-Brion is a seamless, majestic classic, and a tribute to this phenomenal terroir and its singular characteristics. The wine still has a very thick, viscous-looking ruby/purple color, a spectacular, young but awesome smorgasbord of aromas ranging from scorched earth, liquid minerals, graphite, blackberry and black currant jam to toast, licorice, and spice box. The levels of fruit, extract, and glycerin in this viscous, full-bodied, low-acid wine are awe-inspiring. The brilliant symmetry of the wine, extraordinary purity, and seamlessness are the hallmarks of a modern-day legend. It is still in its pre-adolescent stage of development, and I would not expect it to hit its full plateau of maturity for another 3-5 years, but this should be an Haut-Brion that rivals the greatest ever made at this estate. Life is too short not to drink this wine as many times as possible! A modern day clone of the 1959? Anticipated maturity: 2005-2030. Last tasted, 1/03.

1989. Haut Brion 3L Provenance

The provenance of the 3L Haut Brion 89 is indicated in the e mail below.    One of our wine loving restaurant patrons folks lived on the east coast of Florida and he had access to some excellent wines.  I purchased this Wine through him from  the store indicated below  upon release in 1992.   It went into our cellar at that time where it has remained properly stored at 55-60 degrees ever since.  We sold our restaurant (The Crow’s Nest in Venice Florida) in 2017, but not the 8000 bottle cellar, which is the basis of our store today.    Pictures available  

Response from Restaurant Customer who facilitated our purchase of the 3 L Haut Brion 1989

Yes, you are correct.  It was a wine shop on US 1 in Palm Beach Gardens/North Palm Beach.  It is no longer in existence, as it was in a strip in a very desirable location and someone bought out the lease for another purpose.  I will track down the name of the shop at the time and the owner’s name, if you would like it, so you can attach a provenance to it.  He sold mostly cases to the high-end folks in Lost Tree (Jack Nicholas’s development) and  Juno (location of Seminole Golf Course)Tequesta and Jupiter Island (where so many of the golfers live now). 

The shop was the Wine Cask. He had perfect storage.