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Interestingly, a bottle of 1990 Lafite Rothschild I pulled from my cellar for a video blog on my web site was still buttoned down, tight, and even with extended decanting was not showing as much as I would have hoped. However, a bottle tasted, of all places, in Seoul, Korea in February, was only a few points short of perfection. That amazing performance motivated me to pull another bottle out of my cellar and follow it over the course of two days. Sure enough, by the second day the wine was roaring from the glass. The 1990 Lafite has turned out far better than my early assessment. While it still possesses some firmness, and performs like a late adolescent in terms of its evolution, it boasts gorgeous aromas of cedar, tobacco leaf, cassis, and lead pencil shavings. The explosive aromas are followed by a fleshy, full-bodied wine that should hit its peak in 5-8 years, and last for 25-30 more. Robert Parker | 96 RPVery serious fruit, with juicy berry, tobacco and cedar character. Slightly more body than the 1989, but they are very close in character. I would give this a little more time. ’89/’90 Bordeaux non-blind horizontal. Best after 2007. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS(Château Lafite Rothschild, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) A smoky, slightly baked character to the fruit and an undercurrent of dark chocolate and ground coffee. The texture is soft, sunny, and supple, with agreeable plumpness on the finish. 1990 was another sunny year that produced a lush, ripe result for Lafite that is immediately approachable. Although it should continue to show well, it lacks the incisive character of cooler years. The growing season was easy, with warm weather throughout and a successful flowering that set a large crop. There was sufficient sun to ripen all the fruit, however, and the final result was 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Franc. (Drink between 2022-2042)Decanter | 95 DECThis bottle of 1990 Lafite-Rothschild replicates the one poured at the château several months earlier. The bouquet offers black fruit, a little dustiness, leather and light marine notes, but again, it never slips into fifth gear. It just lacks vivacity. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly hard tannin, modest fruit concentration and a monochromatic finish that feels suppressed by that summer’s warmth. To reiterate, there are Super Seconds that clearly outperform this First Growth in 1990. Tasted at Noble Rot’s “Xmas” dinner.Vinous Media | 90 VM

As one might expect, this is a brilliant wine, but it remains shockingly young, even for the fast evolving 1990s. Its deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by a classic, nearly restrained set of aromatics that includes notions of sweet black cherries, black currants, lead pencil, and wet stones. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, and while technically low in acidity, there is a freshness, delineation, and classicism in this full-throttle, rich, concentrated, impeccable 1990. While still youthful, it is easy to appreciate despite its substantial tannins. It is not quite as backward as the 1990 Lafite Rothschild or 1990 Latour. Anticipated maturity: now-2035.Robert Parker | 96 RPSaturated ruby-red to the rim. Bound-up but intense nose of licorice, blackcurrant, and chocolate, with lovely oak treatment. Brooding and unevolved on the palate, but the great extract and depth of flavor are easy to appreciate. Brilliantly delineated, thanks to sound acidity. Proprietor Delon declassified more than 60% of his crop to make this sensational wine. Endless, firm after taste.Vinous Media | 94+ VMBeautifully crafted red. Gorgeous plum, berry and smoky oak character. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, long, ripe fruit finish. A joy to taste.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now. Wine Spectator | 93 WSSuperb colour, great depth of concentration shows the Pauillac character of Las Cases, severe and uncompromising now, but a great future.Decanter | 90 DEC

Draws you into the glass with enticing plum, blackberry, vanilla and coconut aromas and flavors. Full-bodied yet balanced, with an abundance of soft tannins, but not aggressive. Best after 2000.Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Les Forts de Latour) The 1990 vintage of Forts de Latour is outstanding and is quite a bit more forward than the grand vin, albeit with the structure to continue to cruise along as well for many years to come. The superb bouquet wafts from the glass in a fine blend of black cherries, cassis, a touch of cigar wrapper, dark soil tones, smoke and a nice touch of fairly toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely plush on the attack, with a fine core, ripe, suave tannins and a long, focused and complex finish. This is already quite easy to drink, but will cruise along effortlessly for at least a few more decades. (Drink between 2014-2035)John Gilman | 91+ JGThe rich, well-endowed 1990 possesses round, generous, surprisingly concentrated flavors. It will make ideal drinking over the next 10-15 years. The most complete second wine made at this property since their glorious 1982, over one-half of the crop was relegated to this wine. Anticipated maturity: Now-2005.Robert Parker | 90 RP

A time of serious changes at Mouton, with Baron Philippe de Rothschild passing away in 1988 after having overseen seven decades worth of harvests, and his longtime winemaker Raoul Blondin retiring in 1989. It was also three years before the introduction of Petit Mouton under Baroness Philippine (even Aile d’Argent the white wine didn’t arrive until 1991). Does all of this explain why the 1990 has suffered with its reputation from the beginning? Certainly it is far more mature at this 31-year-checkin than the others in the tasting, with strawberry and raspberry notes rather than the darker fruits that you more usually find in great Pauillac, with clear tertiary notes of tobacco, rust and woodsmoke. I had a better bottle of this in December 2020, and also in October 2018, so do expect bottle variation and you just might get lucky, but this was not the wine of the night. Label artist Francis Bacon, with one of his last works. Harvest 18 September to 3 October. Drinking Window 2021 - 2030.Decanter | 91 DECNotorious for not living up to the estate’s nor the vintage’s reputations, I have to say this 1990 Mouton Rothschild was not looking nearly as bad as I was expecting. This was a hot, dry vintage, which can be a challenge for vines on such free-draining soils as the deep gravel-mounds composing the backbone of Mouton’s vineyards. The effect of the struggling vines is apparent in the wine, yielding less density and chewier tannins. Nonetheless, the terroir’s pedigree clearly glimmers in the background.The wine displays a brick color with subtle, compellingly elegant redcurrant jelly, dried cranberries and powdered cinnamon notes plus wafts of potpourri, dried figs, unsmoked cigars and dusty soil. Medium-bodied, it is notably far more delicately fruited than one would expect of Mouton, structured with bold freshness and a light chew of tannins before finishing on a mineral note. Indeed, it is skinny compared to great vintages, but it is aging gracefully. For readers who love those soft-spoken, more delicately expressed styles, this one’s for you!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPA less-than-extraordinary Mouton with licorice and sandalwood on the nose. But this is still lovely and easy to drink. Medium body, good fruit and soft tannins.James Suckling | 90 JS

A great vintage all over Europe, this is most likely, after the scarce 1988, Ornellaia’s vintage of consecration after only five years of winemaking. Michel Rolland arrived in 1991 and remains Ornellaia's consultant today. The wine has extremely elegant citrus and black pepper aromas, with fresh cherry flavours complemented by a leathery core and a white chocolate and cigar-leaf finish. It has shades of light and dark all over the palate, with a full, quite fleshy suppleness balanced by refreshing natural acidity and crunchy extracted tannins. Drinking Window 2019 - 2030.Decanter | 97 DECGood fresh deep red. Knockout nose combines black fruits, tar, mocha and humus. A hugely concentrated, sweet wine with great richness of fruit and extract. The first vintage of Ornellaia to reach 14% alcohol, and it shows in the wine's compelling thickness. Far from the subtlest wine in the range, but ripe acidity and big, sweet tannins give it plenty of verve and grip. Today, I find this wine fresher and a bit more detailed than the estate's 2000. A monumental wine today, but this could still use another four or five years in bottle to reach its peak.Vinous Media | 96 VMThis is a blockbuster with masses of chocolate, earth, minty aromas and flavors; full bodied with full round tannins and a super acid backbone. Best Ornellaia ever made. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 8,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSAnother super effort from this producer, Ludvico Antinori's 1990 Ornellaia is a worthy successor to the super 1988. Fat, supple, and loaded with black-cherry and curranty fruit, and a dash of vanillin from new oak barrels, this full-bodied, velvety-textured, opulent wine should drink well for 10-12 years.As good as the Ornellaia is, it is hard to imagine how terrific the single vineyard offering Ornellaia called Masseto must be in 1990. Several of my Italian friends claim it is absolutely brilliant.Robert Parker | 92 RP

Ripe and fresh. Just what it should be. Deep ruby with red hue. Loads of chocolate, vanilla, tobacco and ripe fruit. Full bodied with lots of velvety tannins and a long finish.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2004. 12,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSMedium healthy red. Expressive aromas of smoky oak, toffee, redcurrants, and a trace of herbs. Thick, velvety and smooth, with substantial fat. Broad more than intense right now. Lingering, sweet finish; ripe tannins are substantial but currently buried in fruit.Vinous Media | 90 VM

A very strong effort form Petit-Village, and made before a very noticeable decline in the quality of wines over the subsequent seven years, the fully mature 1990 has plenty of amber at the edge, a dark garnet color, a sweet nose of melted licorice, espresso, dried herbs, and black cherries and currants. The wine is fleshy, silky-textured, and very easy to drink and understand. Anticipated maturity: Now-2010. Last tasted, 3/01.Robert Parker | 90 RP

The 1990 Petrus remains incredibly young, one of the least evolved wines of the vintage (along with Montrose and Beausejour-Duffau). This dense ruby/purple-colored effort is beginning to hint at the massive richness and full-bodied intensity lurking beneath its wall of tannin. The vintage’s sweetness, low acidity, and velvety tannins are present in abundance, and the wine is massive in the mouth as well as incredibly pure and well-delineated. I thought it would be drinkable by now, but it appears another 5-10 years will pass before it begins to reach its plateau of maturity. This wine is capable of lasting at least four more decades. An incredible achievement! Release price: ($5000.00/case)Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThis is a legendary Petrus that I have scored 100 points in the past. Today, it’s still showing its greatness with aromas of dark fruit, black olives, hot stones and wet concrete. It’s full-to medium-bodied and shows medium, velvety tannins that give the wine backbone and composure. It’s always changing in the glass, giving fruit and earth undertones all the while. A vibrant and vivid wine that talks to you.James Suckling | 99 JSThat hasn’t changed. A classy wine that’s almost as great as the awesome ’89. Expressive and sophisticated, with wonderful ripe fruit and vanilla aromas. The palate is extremely silky with superb flavor concentration. It’s very muscular but refined and toned. Still too young to open.--Pétrus non-blind vertical. Best after 2007. 3,700 cases made.Wine Spectator | 98 WSThe 1990 Petrus is a fabulous wine even if I have found more bottle variation than the 1989. This is incontrovertibly a great bottle, better than the one poured at the "Pomerol Comparative Tasting". It has a sensual and heartwarming bouquet of mulberry, raspberry, autumn leaves, wild heather and a touch of roasted chestnut. There is something animally about this Petrus that you might ascribe to brettanomyces but in this case it is just the character of the secondary aromas. The palate is rounded and smooth. Supple and languorous, there are layers of red fruit infused with sage, thyme and black tea. The 1990 is extraordinarily persistent, a crescendo that dares to show up the imperious 1989 that is more linear and “correct” by comparison. The 1989 might be a better Petrus, however, you could argue that the 1990 is simply more enjoyable. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at the Épure restaurant in Hong Kong.Vinous Media | 97 VM

The nose is practically humming, hovering close to perfection, the burnished Tuscan sun on full display. This is the most perfect level of ripeness, warmth, beauty and juiciness; the main quality here is drinkability. This still has the bite of tannins, their teeth are still on display but exerting a languorous hold, nothing fierce or menacing at this point. Roasted wild strawberries, grilled over sarments, elongated tannins with nothing to prove.Decanter | 96 DECThe 1990 Sassicaia appears to be the finest wine made at this estate since the nearly perfect 1985. It boasts a saturated purple, almost bluish color, and a sensational yet unevolved and youthful aromatic profile of sweet, nearly over-ripe blackcurrants, cedar, tobacco, and toasty new oak. Full-bodied, with staggering concentration and extract levels, this tannic, super-pure, well-defined Cabernet possesses low enough acidity and sweet enough tannin to make it accessible to those readers unable to defer their gratification, but do not expect this wine to attain its plateau of maturity before the end of the century. It will last through the first decade of the 21st century.Robert Parker | 94 RPPerhaps not up to the glory of the '88 or '85 but the '90 Sassicaia will be remembered for its great harmony. It's a rich wine with an excellent combination of new wood and ripe fruit, full body and silky tannins, adding a crisp finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

An absolutely spectacular Tertre Roteboeuf, probably the only other vintage that will reach this level of quality is the 2000. The 1990 has a deep plum/ruby color with some lightening at the edge and an extraordinarily flamboyant nose of jammy black cherry and berry fruit infused with smoke, caramel, and coffee notes that soar from the glass. This is a very viscous, full-bodied, silky textured wine has a to-die-for finish and enough glycerin and body to get lost. It is just entering its plateau of full maturity. A wow-wow wine! Anticipated maturity: Now-2015. Last tasted, 12/02.Robert Parker | 98 RPDeep red-ruby. Fabulous nose of toffee, coffee, smoke, cinnamon, minerals and a faint animal quality. Extraordinarily thick entry; great density and sweetness but with plenty of underlying acidity and backbone. As with the voluptuous ‘89, there’s lovely delineation of flavor beneath all the glycerine. Finishes with a wave of melting tannins. Kept revealing additional nuances as it opened in the glass. Along with the ’90 L’Angelus, a great example of what can be done with controlled yields, 100% new oak, and - minimal filtration. This wine is now putting most of Bordeaux’s bigger names to shame.Vinous Media | 94 VM

A little maderized with raised volatile acidity, but some tobacco and berry underneath. Turns fruity and even jammy.James Suckling | 90 JS

Dark ruby color. Decadent aromas of meat, figs and ripe fruit. Full-bodied, with a very good, compacted, fruity structure and a long, long, ripe fruit and earth finish. This is a seriously good bottle. Great value. Love it.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Outstanding quality from a weak year. Good darkruby color. Intense aromas of chocolate, berry andcedar. Full-bodied, with firm tannins and a longfinish. Starting to show some bottle bouquet, butgood backbone and firmness. Textbook Latour from adifficult vintage.--Latour vertical. Best after 2004.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Rich, powerful, stylish and expressive. Petit Mouton is always the most exuberant of the First Growth second wines, and here it rewards with layers of spiced black chocolate, cinnamon-laced blackberries, cherry pits, cassis and caramel. This was the vintage that benefitted from Philippe Dhalluin’s new regime of tightening production on the main wine, ensuring that certain lots that would have previously been selected for Mouton Rothschild now made it in here. As such, 2005 can be seen as the first vintage of the new era where Petit Mouton has grown to be one of the most sought after second wines of the region, with a clear personality and ageing trajectory. 3.62pH. | 92 DEC

Good full ruby-red. Knockout, complex nose offers vibrant aromas of raspberry, sour red cherry, strawberry, licorice and violet, complicated by white pepper and rose. Then moderately dense and fresh in the mouth, with delicately spicy notes of redcurrant, strawberry, licorice, coffee and minerals. This rather elegantly styled wine finishes bright and fresh, with firm, highly polished tannins. This midweight Cheval Blanc lacks the density and concentration of the better vintages, but it has an amazingly pure nose of cabernet franc (I'd score this 95 or more for its aromas) that is a joy to inhale. For those with deep pockets, it's also a fantastic food wine, and a simply amazing buy, since it will cost much less than many other more sought-after Cheval Blanc vintages.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Aromas of peat and fruits, with hints of cedar and berries. Full and velvety with good fruit and a medium finish. Goes mushroomy. A little light.James Suckling | 91 JS

A terrific wine for the vintage, Latour’s 1993 reveals an opaque purple color, a backward, cedar, black walnut, cassis, and earth-scented nose, medium to full body, gorgeously rich, concentrated fruit, moderately high tannin (but no astringency), and a sweet, long, powerful finish. The wine does not possess any of the vegetal, green pepper characteristics of the vintage, nor any hint of hollowness or harshness. This wine may prove to merit an even higher rating. Is this vintage the modern day clone of the 1967 and 1971? Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. Last tasted 1/97Robert Parker | 90 RPSlightly oxidized with a coffee and spice character, as well as fruit. Medium body. Tea, tobacco and some fruit.James Suckling | 90 JS