1989 DRC Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru

For two decades this very much seemed stuck in a time capsule as it was evolving glacially but just in the last few years full maturity has finally arrived. The hallmark spice of a great La Tâche is present in spades with outstanding aromatic complexity that includes plenty of secondary fruit development but at this point, no sous-bois. There is excellent concentration to the velvety and wonderfully rich flavors that display the same wonderful depth of the nose, all wrapped in a mouth coating, delicious and hugely long finish.

The 1989 La Tâche is a joy to drink today, and only suffers (as it did a tad on this particular occasion) when it is flanked by the 1988 and the 1990! The last bottle of this I tasted was in a large 1989 Burg tasting, and flanked only by wines from that particular vintage, the wine performed even better than in this La Tâche vertical. The bouquet is stunning, with a classic ripe year La Tâche nose of dark berries, chocolate, duck, herb tones, a bit of earth and a fine base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is velvety, full and opulent on the palate, with fine purity of fruit, excellent focus, and a long, complex and creamy finish. The 1989 does not possess a whole lot in reserve at the core these days, and though it is still a touch primary in its spectrum of aroma and flavor, the wine is now fully mature. The slightly low acids of the vintage make this wine a touch more linear than is the norm for La Tâche, but much of this perception has to do with the wine being served flanked by the monumental 1990 and the racy and stunningly perfumed 1988.