The second part of this tasting kicks off with the 1989 Pichon Lalande. Off the charts aromatic intensity, silky tannins and exceptional finesse give the 1989 much of its considerable allure. Crushed flowers, sweet red fruit, tobacco, cedar and incense are some of the many notes that waft from the glass, but it is the wine’s textural finesse that elevates it into the realm of the profound. Wonderfully alive and delineated in every way, the 1989 is one of many highlights on this magical afternoon.

This has entered its secondary phase, with alluring notes of black tea, steeped plum, mulled spice and warm pain d'épices emerging from the core of supple plum, cassis and black cherry fruit. The long, fine-grained finish lets a perfumy singed cedar accent linger. A beauty.--Non-blind Pichon Lalande vertical (July 2014). JM

The 1989 Pichon Lalande has a fresh, vital bouquet that is surprisingly backward, the tightly coiled black and blue fruit mixed with pencil lead and cedar. The Cabernet Sauvignon is very expressive here. The palate is well-balanced, taut and linear, delivering plenty of freshness and energy. This is easily the finest bottle of 1989 that I have tasted over the years, shrugging off its almost three decades and as sharp as the finest chisel in the set. This is a very good showing of a 30-year-old wine that is up there with the First Growths. Tasted at the château. www.vinous.com

A beautifully mature, evolved, complex and graceful wine, the 1989 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande is still ruby-hued, with just light bricking at the edges. The aromatics are classic Pauillac, with ample mature red and black fruits as well as lead pencil, cedary herbs, forest floor, and spicy, leathery nuances. Medium-bodied, soft, and elegant on the palate, it's in a great spot today. I don't see it getting any better, but it certainly has another decade of prime drinking.

Approaching full maturity, Pichon-Lalande’s1989 has a deep ruby/plum color with some lightening at the edge. The nose offers sweet plums and creme de cassis intermixed with vanilla and graphite. The wine is lush, medium to full-bodied, and layered with texture, low acidity, sweet tannin, and the hallmark purity and elegance this estate routinely produces. Some tannins remain, but this wine has reached its plateau of maturity, where it should remain for another 10-15 years. Anticipated maturity: Now-2017. Last tasted, 5/02.

Full, deep red. Flamboyant aromas of cassis, currant leaf, tobacco, herbs and animal fur. Sweet, lush and lively; already showing lovely inner-mouth aromatic character. Finishes long, strong and lively, with firm tannins and slow-mounting persistence. Earlier bottles of this wine appeared to be a bit more exotic, even slightly animal, but this offers a lovely combination of purity and sheer ripeness. Drink over the next 15 years.

Intense and sweet. Really very delicious now. (JR)