1989 Château Cheval Blanc, St Emilion, Bordeaux

Since its bottling, the 1989 has frequently been disappointing. In this tasting, it showed better than it has over the last several years. The 1989 is not a great effort for this chateau. The color is already revealing an amber edge, and the lead pencil, cedar, spicy, black fruit, and vanillin-scented nose is more reminiscent of a young Lafite, than the exotic style associated with Cheval Blanc in a hot, dry, ripe year. This medium weight, lightly tannic wine is very approachable. I have rated the 1989 Cheval Blanc consistently between 87 and 89, which is indicative of an excellent wine, but given the vintage terroir, this is not one of the stars of the 1989 vintage. It should continue to drink well for 10-15+ years, as there is moderate tannin in the wine's elegant framework, but readers should not expect any miracles.