1989 Burgundy Vintage

The 1989 growing season in Burgundy was defined by contrast: a difficult start followed by a memorably warm and sunny finish. After a mild winter, April and May turned unusually cold, bringing frost damage and at least one significant hailstorm across parts of the Côte d'Or. June remained cool, with genuinely hot and dry conditions only arriving in July. From that point, the warmth held through to harvest. Critically, enough rain fell towards the end of August to prevent the grapes from shrivelling, keeping fruit plump and healthy. September saw an early harvest of a ripe, rich crop with high natural sugars.

• Mild winter and spring followed by an unusually cold and stormy April and May with frost and hail in some areas
• Hot, dry conditions arrived in July and persisted, with welcome late-August rain preventing grape desiccation
• Harvest began around September 13th, among the earlier dates of the modern era, under generally favorable conditions
• The resulting grapes were ripe and healthy but slightly higher in alcohol and lower in acidity than the Burgundian norm

The vintage favored the fuller, richer appellations of Burgundy more than the delicate, terroir-precise ones. In the Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saint-Georges excelled, while Gevrey-Chambertin was notably patchy at village level, with quality very much dependent on individual producer and terroir. On the Côte de Beaune, Pommard thrived while the more refined Volnay and Beaune were less consistent. For whites, Meursault delivered the vintage's most compelling results thanks to naturally lower yields; Puligny-Montrachet was also very good while Chassagne-Montrachet, with higher average yields, was less so. Corton-Charlemagne proved patchy. The Côte Chalonnaise, particularly Mercurey and Givry, also turned out some surprisingly enjoyable wines.

• Top red appellations: Pommard, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanée, Savigny-lès-Beaune, and Pernand-Vergelesses
• Gevrey-Chambertin was patchy at village level; the generalization holds less true at premier and grand cru level where top producers excelled
• White Burgundy: Meursault led the vintage, followed by Puligny-Montrachet; Chassagne-Montrachet and Corton-Charlemagne were more variable
• The Côte Chalonnaise produced some surprisingly good wines, making 1989 a worthwhile vintage to explore for value

In a vintage where producer selection was especially important, the most reliable names delivered wines of genuine depth and longevity. In the Côte de Nuits, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti produced benchmark Romanée-Conti and La Tâche, while Henri Jayer's Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux, a premier cru vineyard of just 1.01 hectares above Richebourg, is a confirmed and celebrated expression of the vintage. Domaine Armand Rousseau produced its Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques, a premier cru widely regarded by experts as comparable in quality to many Burgundy grand crus. For whites, Domaine des Comtes Lafon in Meursault and Domaine Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet were among the most trusted sources of age-worthy Chardonnay.

• Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: Romanée-Conti and La Tâche are the intellectual benchmarks of the vintage in the Côte de Nuits
• Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux (Premier Cru): A 1.01-hectare vineyard universally treated as grand cru in all but name; the 1989 is a confirmed and highly sought vintage
• Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques (Premier Cru): Rousseau owns one-third of this storied 17.7-acre climat, which experts often invoke alongside the region's grand crus
• Domaine des Comtes Lafon and Domaine Leflaive: The most trusted addresses for 1989 white Burgundy in Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet respectively

At over 35 years of age, 1989 Burgundy has reached a mature stage in its evolution. The lower natural acidity that characterized the vintage means most wines have developed more quickly than leaner years such as 1988 or 1996. Many village-level and regional wines will now be well past their peak. Top premier and grand cru reds from the finest producers, if stored impeccably, may still offer evolved tertiary complexity, but provenance and storage history are paramount. The best whites, particularly from Meursault producers such as Comtes Lafon, could still show beautifully in ideal conditions but represent a genuine gamble without verified cellaring. This is a vintage to approach with both curiosity and caution.

• Village and regional wines: Almost certainly past peak; consume immediately if bottles still exist in good condition
• Premier cru reds from top producers: Fully evolved; expect tertiary notes of forest floor, dried fruit, and earth if well-stored
• Grand crus from elite estates (DRC, Leroy, Rousseau): May still show complex plateau in exceptional cellaring conditions
• Provenance is critical: The vintage's lower acidity makes imperfect storage conditions particularly damaging to bottle quality

1989 sits in an interesting position within Burgundy's late-20th-century decade. It was immediately followed by 1990, widely regarded as one of the century's great Burgundy vintages and often overshadowing 1989 for reds. Interestingly, Jasper Morris of Inside Burgundy noted that for whites, 'on balance the 1989s seemed to have the edge' over the 1990s. The 1988 vintage that preceded 1989 was hard and unusually backward, with dense concentration rewarding patience of two decades or more. In general, 1989 is rated as a very good to excellent vintage rather than a legendary one, with its richer, more forward style and lower acidity making it more immediately approachable but also less suited to extreme longevity than the sturdier 1988 or the more structured 1990.

• 1989 vs. 1990 reds: 1990 generally considered superior and more age-worthy; 1989 was richer and more forward in youth
• 1989 vs. 1990 whites: Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy noted the 1989 whites held a slight edge over the 1990s
• 1989 vs. 1988: 1988 was harder and more backward at release but rewarded very long aging; 1989 was more generous and approachable early
• 1989 in context: Rated very good to excellent by most critics; respected but rarely listed among Burgundy's truly legendary vintages

Young 1989 red Burgundy displayed bright, generous fruit, plush texture, and notably soft tannins, making the wines approachable earlier than the more austere 1988s. The higher natural alcohol and lower acidity of the vintage shaped wines of broad mid-palate richness rather than linear precision. Today, well-preserved examples show evolved aromatics of dried cherry, forest floor, dried mushroom, and earthy spice, with softened tannins and a warm, rounded finish. The whites were praised for their richness and opulence, particularly from Meursault, though the lower acidity means even the finest examples should be monitored carefully for signs of oxidation in older bottles.

• Reds: Ripe, generous fruit in youth with soft tannins and broad mid-palate richness; now showing evolved tertiary notes of dried fruit, earth, and forest floor
• Whites: Rich and opulent at their best, particularly from Meursault; lower acidity means older bottles require careful assessment before opening
• Overall style: Fuller, rounder, and more forward than typical Burgundy; the vintage favored immediate pleasure over extreme longevity
• Key risk in older bottles: Lower acidity accelerates evolution; storage conditions and ullage levels are essential indicators of current quality