1989 Graves night

I thought it would be interesting to compare a second wine from a top producer with a grand vin from a second-tier producer, in a strong, mature Graves vintage. It wasn't much of a contest.

• 1989 Château Haut-Brion Le Bahans de Château Haut-Brion 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Tasted twice, with inconsistent notes. One bottle was terrific and undoubtedly the best second wine I've ever had. It really showed off the Graves terroir, coming across sometimes as smoke, sometimes as charcoal, sometimes as barbecue sauce and sometimes like the peat treatment on Scotch whisky. There was a lot of blackcurrant fruit left, way more than I'd expect for a 25-year-old second wine, and some earth and iodine character to round it out. In the mouth it was soft and persistent with a nice touch of acid.
  
  The other bottle was elegant and integrated, but lacked the same wallop and signature character. It showed licorice, pencil, and earth. The tannins had softened nicely but still provided a backbone, and the wine's soft mouthfeel produced a tickling, peppery sensation on the midpalate. The sweet dark fruit was receding, but far from gone. It did start to deteriorate after two hours in a decanter.

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• 1989 Château Pape Clément 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Ruby color. Good nose of pepper and fennel/anise. But the fruit is in the background and the palate doesn't measure up--the acidity leaves a sour note and the finish is harsh.

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