This is so decadent and exciting on the nose, with very ripe fruit, tobacco, meat and cedar. Full-bodied, offering amazing raspberry fruit in the core of the palate. Ultrapolished, velvety tannins wonderfully coat every inch of your palate. This will age for years ahead, but it's so lovely now. Much better than many people think.--'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). James Suckling

Almost a bit too much on the classic side with its focus on leafy tobacco, pepper, spice, greenery, pepper, and herbs. With a bit of rusticity on the palate, the wine finishes on the austere, leaning-to-tart side of the style range. Drink from 2023-2030. Tasted July 2023

The 1989 Latour shows similarly to the bottle earlier this year. To be honest, there is little difference between the aromatics on this and Les Forts de Latour, perhaps just some morels and yes, a touch of Brettanomyces. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, the mixture of red and black fruit mixed with plenty of undergrowth. I appreciate the freshness and the piquant finish, although I would not rank this as a top-tier Latour; it could even be considered to be underperforming in the context of the vintage. Tasted from an ex-cellar bottle at the château. Sept 2019

This wine was tasted at a vertical tasting held in Charlotte, North Carolina several days before the Christie tasting. The Latour staff spoke far more highly of the 1989 than my experience has shown.

It possesses many characteristics that make great vintages of Bordeaux so alluring - softness, overripeness, and sweet fruit. The problem is that there are insufficient quantities of these components.

An evolved dark ruby color reveals amber at the edge. The nose offers aromas of caramel, coffee, ripe black cherry and currant fruit, cedar, and spice box. Although medium-bodied, with low acidity, the wine lacks richness in the mid-palate, and is surprisingly abrupt in the finish. It is a very fine, delicious Latour, but it is hard to believe it will attain the weight and flavor dimensions its producers suggest. Anticipated maturity: now-2020.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #129 Jun 2000)