The 1989 Yquem is my favourite of the triumvirate and this bottle was stellar. It explodes from the glass with scents of quince, acacia, honeysuckle, saffron and wild heather (a trait that I have observed previously). What marks this out is the stunning delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with tangerine, fig, marmalade and quince. A livewire Yquem with enormous depth and intensity, a bit more swagger than the 1988, a bit more precision-tooled than the 1990. Fabulous. Tasted blind at a private dinner in Bordeaux. 99pts April 2022
The 1989 Yquem is one of my favourite vintages ever and certainly my pick of the famous trio at the end of the decade. This is even more spectacular than the bottle poured at Hide restaurant three years ago. Still limpid gold in color, it has an entrancing bouquet of orange blossom, quince and freshly sliced apricot, all delivered with stunning delineation. Ineffably pure and full of tension, this Yquem has an effortless nature that leaves the taster almost hypnotized in its presence. Delicate touches of fig and Seville orange marmalade furnishes the finish. Brilliant. Tasted at the Amos Bursary charity dinner at 67 Pall Mall. 99pts March 2022

Freshness, purity, and more layers of roasted, apricots, pineapples, yellow plums, nuts, caramel, and spice slathered in honey and butterscotch are only part of what you will encounter here. It is the racy lift, and vibrance on the palate that makes it all work, finishing with its lively endnotes. As good as this is, it is only getting started. I imagine this will drink well for at least another 50-75 years if well stored. That is why d'Yquem is d'Yquem. Tasted April 2022

Medium to deep gold colored, the 1989 d'Yquem is little closed to begin, slowly unfurling to give gorgeous dried mango, pineapple paste and candied peel scents with hints of praline, nutmeg, lemon butter and crème caramel plus a waft of crushed stones. The palate delivers powerful, wonderfully concentrated notes of dried stone fruits with provocative nutty nuances and a seamless acid backbone, packaged within a satiny texture and finishing on a lingering lemon tea and minerals note. The alcohol came in at 13.2% this year with a residual sugar of 126.5 grams per liter, and total acidity is 3.9 grams per liter H2SO4. 97pts LPB Aug 2019
Robert Parker''s Wine Advocate 01/01/1998

The favorite sweet wine of millionaires, Chateau d''Yquem has, not unexpectedly, turned in a brilliant effort with their newly released 1989. It is a large-scaled, massively rich, unctuously-textured wine that should evolve effortlessly for a half century or more. It does not reveal the compelling finesse and complexity of the 1988 or 1986, but it is a far heavier, richer wine than either of those vintages. It is reminiscent of the 1976, with additional fat and glycerin. The wine is extremely alcoholic and rich, with a huge nose of smoky, honey-covered coconuts and overripe pineapples and apricots. As with most young vintages of Yquem, the wine''s structure is barely noticeable. These wines are so highly extracted and rich yet approachable young, it is difficult to believe they will last for 50 or more years. The 1989 is the richest Yquem made in the eighties, and it has an edge in complexity over the powerhouse 1983. It remains to be seen whether this wine will develop the extraordinary aromatic complexity possessed by the promising 1988 and 1986 Yquems. Last tasted 11/97

What a remarkable trilogy of vintages for Chateau D'Yquem (I am speaking of the 1990, 1989 and 1988). This vintage leans more towards the 1990 than 1988 in style. It is a very unctously textured, medium gold-coloured Yquem that is oozing with honey-soaked oranges, pineapples, apricots, and peaches. This is a very powerful, rich, thick wine, with loads of glycerin, fabulous aromatics, and seemingly low acidity, but mind-boggling levels of depth and concentration, and a finish that goes on for well over a minute. Like the 1990, it is a bit more flamboyant than its more restrained sibling, the 1988, and tends to be impressive in terms of power and richness. A great, great Yquem! Anticipated maturity: now-2065. (98)

This took home the audience award at the 67 Pall Mall tasting that I was hosting, with good reason. What a brilliant example of why Sauternes should be left to gather nuance and to shed its more exuberant, fattier early years before opening. This is just a masterclass in the layers and complexity that you find in fully mature Yquem; saffron, truffle, pineapple, quince, lime, apricots and lemon. Hugely persistent with a squeeze of scraping slate acidity through the final few minutes that gives a dry but mouthwatering finish. It is clearly in its tertiary phase in terms of the type of aromatics, and the beautiful amber, rose-gold colour, but there is no sense that it is beginning to run out of steam. A concentrated, gloriously balanced Yquem that has decades ahead of it, and fully justifies the reputation of the vintage. Count Alexandre Lur Saluces was heading up the estate at the time.
Tasted by Jane Anson (at Bordeaux, 01 Feb 2021)
Part of Anson: How the 1985 Bordeaux first growths taste now