I actually find the 1989 Cornas to be a shade better than the '90 right now, but at this stage, 25 years out, we're well into the bottle variation stage of wines' evolution so I could take a different view on any given day. The wine displays highly complex bouquet that evokes raspberry liqueur, incense, potpourri and smoky bacon, with a powerful Asian spice nuance adding lift. It offers palate-staining red fruit and floral pastille flavors, along with suggestions of licorice, olive and fruitcake. Weighty but vibrant, it finishes sweet, seamless and extremely long, with a deft interplay of richness and tension. I suspect that the Cornas will age for at least as long as its 1990 sibling and probably longer but there's plenty of pleasure to be had from it now.

The 1989 Cornas is a mere mortal wine by Verset's standards. Dark purple/black in color, it exhibits a sweet, ripe, herbaceous, cassis-scented nose, and some opulence. For the vintage, it is surprisingly tasty, round, and concentrated. Maturing quickly, it should be drunk over the next 7-8 years. Last tasted 6/95.