The 1989 Montrose can be a brilliant wine, but it's also subject to notable bottle variation. I drank this wine twice in 2021: the first was the best bottle of some two dozen I have encountered over the last decade, and the second (from a cold English cellar where it had been stored since release) was the worst. At its best, this is a remarkably rich, lavish Montrose, bursting with aromas of ripe berry fruit, cigar box, black truffles and grilled meats, delivering a full-bodied, voluptuous, low-acid profile on the palate. When the Brettanomyces dominates, the wine's aromas are marred by medicinal, band aid-like aromas and the finish is a touch dried out. My score reflects the wine at its best, but readers' mileage may vary.

Intense aromas of crushed blackberry and mineral turn to dried flowers and dried fruits, staying fresh on the nose. Full-bodied, offering big, round tannins and loads of ripe, seductive fruit. This is decadent and wild, turning nutty and fruity. A beautiful bottle. This is very close in quality to the legendary 1990.—'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. 22,000 cases made. -JS

An outstanding Montrose, the 1989 is one of the vintage's stars. It possesses an opaque dark ruby/purple color, a sweet nose of minerals, black fruits, cedar, and wood, dense, medium to full-bodied, highly extracted flavors, low acidity, and moderate tannin in the long finish. While it appears to be closing down far more quickly than the legendary 1990, it has layers of sweet fruit as well as an elevated level of glycerin. Give it 5-7 years of cellaring, and drink it over the subsequent 2-3 decades. Last tasted 3/97