Just shy of 2 years from my last bottle. This needed about 30 min to open up in the glass. Although the wine is alive and the balance and finish are good, the wine is essentially without fruit. It was still a fun and pleasant drinking experience and it paired well with Japanese A5 filet mignon but these are over the hill and should be consumed near term. The longevity though is still a testament to Cathy’s incredible winemaking.
Popped and poured- ready to go with 20 min of air. Stellar wine that’s barely identifiable as new world. Has all the pencil shavings and graphite that brings you right to Bordeaux. The balance and finish are great. Certainly in its prime with a solid 5 years plus of good drinking. Revisit 2025
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4 hour decant- not nearly as good as when tasted at the winery. Perhaps a slightly off bottle but nonetheless still a delight to drink. Compared to the 1997 Kronos that I drank last week, the 1997 was far superior. Hopefully my remaining 89’s are better. This is in its prime but no rush to drink.
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Cathy Corison's 1989 Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking beautifully from magnum right now, with a very pure bouquet of black raspberry, dusty coco-like soil tones and an attractive framing of new oak and cedar. On the palate the wine is juicy, open-knit and supremely drinkable: the tannins have largely melted away, but everything remains vibrant and lively. Supremely drinkable wine.
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Tasted out of magnum with Cathy Corison presiding as part of a panel tasting. From a "tough" year, this is gorgeous. Nice note of sage, great balance in the structure, smooth texture.
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Consistant with previous bottle and notes. Perhaps slightly less underpinning to support the wine, but still quite lovely and enjoyable. We drank this with a prime rib dinner alongside 1986 Mouton Rothschild and the Corison stood its ground proudly (however, two vastly different approaches)!
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What a lovely surprise! Pop decant and pour. Lots of fruit up front but elegant and feminine. Lively and no tiredness. Medium red with no obvious bricking. Medium legs. Initially dark fruits like plum, blackberry and dark cherry. Later red berries and hints of apple balanced by a well integrated tartness from the acid. This wine tastes like a well aged burgundy or barbaresco. A nice touch of oak, mild mushroom and leather. Very enjoyable.
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Delicious. Lots of life left - 5-10 years easily based on this bottle. Just a great Corison cab. After being open for a couple hours I could swear I smelled truffle.
Decanted, then drunk within the hour. Cork had serious tannin goo on it. Nose was wonderful, still fruity, and hinting at bottle bouquet. On the palate, some apparent VA, but controlled within the secondary aromas, and deep berries, leather and complex bottle bouquet. Leather, still full-bodied, and though the tannins had definitely integrated, it seems it would go five or more years more if you wanted to. I've had clarets with more complexity at age, but none that still retains the primary fruit palate at the same time: they have tended to be austerely complex red and/or brown flavours, whereas this retains its darker body, and not quite as superlatively complex, though I may be rose-tinting my memories of past clarets. Medium finish. I've not yet had an aged Bordeaux from the top houses/years, which would make the best comparison. And, of course, this is mostly if not 100% Cabernet, so it ought to have a different ageing profile. Excellent!
Edit: also as noted in another review, the cork was tough to get out in one piece. Make sure you have a long corkscrew or one of those sommelier-style pronged openers.
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Opened an hour ahead of time. Intense aromas of cedar and funky red fruits. Cherry and cocoa on the palate. Cherry, black pepper, and a bit of heat on the finish. Wonderfully balanced, mature (but definitely not past its peak), great flavors, some complexity. Classically styled California cabernet.
The cork was a bit of an adventure. I got it out intact, but barely.
Initial nose (and smell of the cork) had a prominent dark chocolate burst, and nice dark fruit and earthy brush. Great balance and still quite a bit of fruit on the palate, and even a bit of tannin left to it. After awhile the fruit subsides some, but is still there, turning a bit more mocha & blackberry on the palate and rusty leather on the nose. It certainly went perfect with the Filet Mignon tonight.
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A little worried with a reddish top of the cork. It also broke on opening. Smelled just slightly odd initially, but after a couple minutes and a sip it was clearly not off. It also seemed slightly past its prime, as the flavours were not popping as much as I was expecting. Perhaps this was a thinner year. In any case, it opened up and gained some complexity after a bit of time in the decanter and went quite well with the prime rib.
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Wonderful surprise from a well-traveled bottle. Clear garnet with ample red fruit, some positive remaining tannins, and pleasant moderate finish. Good intact cork.
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Enjoyed with the cheese course on Darcee's 42nd. Decanted for about an hour and a half. While past its prime it is so fun to enjoy a mature wine. the red fruit was still present but the nose showing the secondary earthy and slight tobacco and the elegant structure were evident. A great showing for a wine from a difficult vintage. A treat!
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12/12/2023 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 92 Points
Just shy of 2 years from my last bottle. This needed about 30 min to open up in the glass. Although the wine is alive and the balance and finish are good, the wine is essentially without fruit. It was still a fun and pleasant drinking experience and it paired well with Japanese A5 filet mignon but these are over the hill and should be consumed near term. The longevity though is still a testament to Cathy’s incredible winemaking.
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12/20/2021 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 95 Points
Popped and poured- ready to go with 20 min of air. Stellar wine that’s barely identifiable as new world. Has all the pencil shavings and graphite that brings you right to Bordeaux. The balance and finish are great. Certainly in its prime with a solid 5 years plus of good drinking. Revisit 2025
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11/29/2020 - asweeney43 wrote: flawed
This bottle had seen better days. Cork disintegrated, tawny color, reduced oxidative nose.
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12/27/2019 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 92 Points
4 hour decant- not nearly as good as when tasted at the winery. Perhaps a slightly off bottle but nonetheless still a delight to drink. Compared to the 1997 Kronos that I drank last week, the 1997 was far superior. Hopefully my remaining 89’s are better. This is in its prime but no rush to drink.
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8/24/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Savory and earthy. Light on the palate and pure.sweer tobacco on the palate.
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5/5/2018 - KAL47 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Flavors of a spiced mulled wine with plenty of cinnamon, cloves, orange, and vanilla. Delicious and complex. $400 at winery.
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5/13/2015 - William Kelley Likes this wine:
Cathy Corison's 1989 Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking beautifully from magnum right now, with a very pure bouquet of black raspberry, dusty coco-like soil tones and an attractive framing of new oak and cedar. On the palate the wine is juicy, open-knit and supremely drinkable: the tannins have largely melted away, but everything remains vibrant and lively. Supremely drinkable wine.
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2/19/2015 - GTFreek wrote:
Tasted out of magnum with Cathy Corison presiding as part of a panel tasting. From a "tough" year, this is gorgeous. Nice note of sage, great balance in the structure, smooth texture.
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3/30/2014 - klezman wrote:
Seems kind of on the edge. Occasional hints of vinegar, but they then blow off. Cassis, dried fruit, leaves, etc.
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3/10/2014 - lifebreath wrote: 92 Points
Consistant with previous bottle and notes. Perhaps slightly less underpinning to support the wine, but still quite lovely and enjoyable. We drank this with a prime rib dinner alongside 1986 Mouton Rothschild and the Corison stood its ground proudly (however, two vastly different approaches)!
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1/16/2014 - lifebreath wrote: 92 Points
What a lovely surprise! Pop decant and pour. Lots of fruit up front but elegant and feminine. Lively and no tiredness. Medium red with no obvious bricking. Medium legs. Initially dark fruits like plum, blackberry and dark cherry. Later red berries and hints of apple balanced by a well integrated tartness from the acid. This wine tastes like a well aged burgundy or barbaresco. A nice touch of oak, mild mushroom and leather. Very enjoyable.
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10/12/2013 - PolarBear22 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted about an hour. Fantastic. Still had some nice fruit, with great tannins. Went wonderfully with filet and mushroom risotto. What a treat.
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12/31/2012 - klezman Likes this wine:
Delicious. Lots of life left - 5-10 years easily based on this bottle. Just a great Corison cab. After being open for a couple hours I could swear I smelled truffle.
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5/15/2012 - richardhod Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted, then drunk within the hour. Cork had serious tannin goo on it. Nose was wonderful, still fruity, and hinting at bottle bouquet. On the palate, some apparent VA, but controlled within the secondary aromas, and deep berries, leather and complex bottle bouquet. Leather, still full-bodied, and though the tannins had definitely integrated, it seems it would go five or more years more if you wanted to. I've had clarets with more complexity at age, but none that still retains the primary fruit palate at the same time: they have tended to be austerely complex red and/or brown flavours, whereas this retains its darker body, and not quite as superlatively complex, though I may be rose-tinting my memories of past clarets. Medium finish. I've not yet had an aged Bordeaux from the top houses/years, which would make the best comparison. And, of course, this is mostly if not 100% Cabernet, so it ought to have a different ageing profile.
Excellent!
Edit: also as noted in another review, the cork was tough to get out in one piece. Make sure you have a long corkscrew or one of those sommelier-style pronged openers.
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4/19/2012 - wuwei Likes this wine: 89 Points
First taste was very acidic, but it seemed to settle down after a few minutes and paired with food it was very enjoyable.
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12/3/2011 - wineshlub wrote: 91 Points
Opened an hour ahead of time. Intense aromas of cedar and funky red fruits. Cherry and cocoa on the palate. Cherry, black pepper, and a bit of heat on the finish. Wonderfully balanced, mature (but definitely not past its peak), great flavors, some complexity. Classically styled California cabernet.
The cork was a bit of an adventure. I got it out intact, but barely.
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6/5/2011 - HitAnyKey wrote: 92 Points
Initial nose (and smell of the cork) had a prominent dark chocolate burst, and nice dark fruit and earthy brush. Great balance and still quite a bit of fruit on the palate, and even a bit of tannin left to it. After awhile the fruit subsides some, but is still there, turning a bit more mocha & blackberry on the palate and rusty leather on the nose. It certainly went perfect with the Filet Mignon tonight.
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3/26/2011 - klezman Likes this wine:
A little worried with a reddish top of the cork. It also broke on opening. Smelled just slightly odd initially, but after a couple minutes and a sip it was clearly not off. It also seemed slightly past its prime, as the flavours were not popping as much as I was expecting. Perhaps this was a thinner year. In any case, it opened up and gained some complexity after a bit of time in the decanter and went quite well with the prime rib.
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9/8/2010 - Krugsters wrote:
Acid has overtaken the fruit. Overwhelming notes of tobacco and ashtray.
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5/22/2009 - ggkemp wrote: 91 Points
Wonderful surprise from a well-traveled bottle. Clear garnet with ample red fruit, some positive remaining tannins, and pleasant moderate finish. Good intact cork.
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11/18/2006 - bmauger wrote: 88 Points
Enjoyed with the cheese course on Darcee's 42nd. Decanted for about an hour and a half. While past its prime it is so fun to enjoy a mature wine. the red fruit was still present but the nose showing the secondary earthy and slight tobacco and the elegant structure were evident. A great showing for a wine from a difficult vintage. A treat!
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3/22/2006 - ricovino wrote: 92 Points
deep garnet, resolved and elegant, floral tones with tobacco and chocolate
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9/28/1993 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
1989 Cabernet Sauvignon versus 1989 Bordeaux (Beltramo's, Menlo Park, Ca. 94025): Deep plum coloration in the glass, good cab nose, nice, pleasant, rich cab taste, rough taste/mouthfeel because of the slightly harsh tannins, nice, medium finish. My #5 and Group #1. $22.99
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