Red Burgundy - 1989
Meteorological data: a winter and a soft spring. Good development of shooting. Perfect flowering. Summer warm and sunny through to the harvest. Harvest status: early, from September 13th. Quality: very good. Ripe and healthy grapes with a high natural alcohol content. Overall quality of the vintage: very good. Ripe, fleshy, well-balanced wines, with supple tannins. To be drunk now. White Burgundy - 1989
Good weather conditions. Early but lengthy flowering. Very dry weather in August, with enough rain to swell the grapes. Mild early September. Harvest status: early, from September 15th. Healthy, ripe grapes, small and concentrated. Overall quality of the vintage: very good. Very pleasant, supple and ripe wines: the best of them have the fruit, dry extract and alcohol to carry them through until 2010. Red Bordeaux - 1989
Meteorological data: early flowering in very good conditions. Very hot summer through to September. Frequent local showers to swell the grapes. Harvest status: Dates: early, from August 28th. Quality: very good. High levels of sugar. Some difficulties with fermentation. Overall quality of the vintage: excellent. Rich, firm and fine wines with a pleasant fruit and a good balance between alcohol, tannin and acidity. Very good for laying down, with decades of ageing potential ahead of them. White Bordeaux - 1989
Meteorological data: flowering in May. Very hot summer. Ripening is already well under way in August. Harvest status: Dates: early, end of August/beginning of September. Quality: grapes ripen early and fully. Overall quality of the vintage: excellent. Some very great wines, with great ageing potential, again until 2010. Syrupy Bordeaux - 1989
Meteorological data: heatwave in summer. Mild temperatures and morning mists in September encourage the noble rot to develop well. Quality: excellent noble rot. High sugar concentration in grapes. Overall quality of the vintage: excellent. Very rich wines, some of which are still hard, and require a little more ageing. Champagne - 1989
Meteorological data: early spring and shooting. Hard frosts at the end of April affecting 20% of the vineyard. Sunny May. Cold spell in the middle of flowering, which is divided into two phases. Very hot and sunny summer, with some rain. Harvest status: Dates: very early, from September 4th. Second harvest from October 10th. Abundance: plentiful Harvest, the equivalent of 274 million bottles. Quality: superb. Perfectly ripe grapes. Overall quality of the vintage: excellent. Very attractive wines, with all three varieties enjoying equal success, and still with the potential to age further.
Rhône Valley - 1989
Overall quality of the vintage: very good. Supple, rich wines. Some magnificent wines in the southern valley. Very good and lengthy ageing potential.
White Alsace - 1989
A fine vintage across all the varieties, but particularly favourable to the Tokay-Pinot Gris. "1989? Amazing! My best dry Sylvaner. Ever since, the quality of the vintage is no longer a concern for me, but a matter of curiosity and pleasure," enthuses Albert Seltz in Soulzmatt. In the Rieslings, the Hugel family produces a wine that is perfectly balanced, well structured well, and marked by mineral, almond and grapefruit notes.
Loire Wine - 1989
General quality of the vintage wine: haughtiness. Red wines are excellent and very good to keep.
Jura - 1989
Overall quality of the vintage: excellent. Some remarkable vins jaunes, among the best of the century.