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(Château Ausone) Château Ausone in the 1989 vintage is a bit of a stylistic outlier for this great property, as the conditions on the Right Bank in 1989 crafted a very powerful example of this estate. I have read elsewhere that this wine is in excess of fourteen percent alcohol, but this is not reflected on the import label. The wine is not overripe in any sense, as it offers up a deep, complex and very pure bouquet of black cherries, sweet dark berries, chocolate, licorice, gamebird, cigar smoke, just a touch of menthol, chalky soil tones, nutskin and just a whisper of incipient sealing wax appearing in the upper register with extended aeration. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, broad-shouldered and very precise, with a rock solid core of fruit, excellent transparency and impeccable focus and balance on the long, ripely tannic and powerful finish. This remains a very young wine and I have little doubt that the 1989 vintage of Ausone will effortlessly last a century in the bottle! An outstanding wine, but perhaps not my favorite style of Ausone from this golden era. (Drink between 2029-2100)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe 1989 Ausone is a good but not great wine, certainly one that ought to have been far better given the benevolent growing season. The nose is well defined with dark berry fruit, mocha, leather and undergrowth scents, fully matured but nicely focused. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly better acidity and more freshness than the 1990. The tannins feel rather rugged – certainly an Ausone that needs to look up the word “finesse” in the dictionary, yet there is good substance and an agreeable pencil lead tinged finish. What is it missing? Just a sense of personality. Tasted at the Ausone vertical in London.Vinous Media | 90 VMMore Burgundian than Bordeaux in color and density, but delivers pretty berry, tobacco and leather character. Medium-bodied, round and silky, with plenty of opulent fruit. This needs drinking.—'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Lovely sous-bois, well-worn leather, steeped tea and mulled red currant fruit aromas and flavors glide together here, with velvety tannins lining the finish, allowing the fruit to linger gracefully. Very alluring for the range and perfume, though this is now fully mature, showing a hair less concentration than the more modern vintages.—Non-blind La Fleur-Pétrus vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2020.Wine Spectator | 94 WSIn the ongoing competition between the 1989 and 1990 vintages, in the case of La Fleur-Petrus, the 1989 comes out a clear winner. The dense plum/garnet color offers up notes of underbrush, dried herbs, caramel, sweet cedar, and jammy black cherries intermixed with some balsam wood. In the mouth the wine is deep, very pure, ripe, with moderate tannins still to be shed. A very impressive, gorgeous La Fleur-Petrus that is the best wine made during a somewhat indifferent period for this property. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2015. Last tasted, 3/02.Robert Parker | 91 RP