La Fleur de Gay Pomerol 1989

94 points Robert Parker: "Given the limited production of less than 1,500 cases per year, this is one of the most difficult Pomerols to obtain. The 1989 performed up to my high expectations. The wine remains backward and unformed, especially for a 1989, but it reveals a nearly opaque purple color, and a sweet, pure nose of black-raspberries, cassis, licorice, violets, and minerals nicely dosed with high quality new oak. There is great fruit on the palate, layers of richness, medium to full body, and fabulous harmony and precision. Given its superb intensity and elegant personality, it is a dazzling example of winemaking. The wine's finish goes on for at least 35-40 seconds. Unlike many 1989 Pomerols, this wine requires 2-3 more years of cellaring; it should keep through the first 15+ years of the next century. (Feb 1997)"

94 points Wine Spectator: "A modern and enticingly young '89. Dark-ruby color. Bubbling-over blueberry, cherry and milk chocolate flavors. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long and caressing finish. Very tannic. Needs time.--1989 Bordeaux horizontal. Best after 2005. (5/31/99)"

93+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "Out of the blocks the 1989 La Fleur de Gay was one of the most opulent and ostentatious wines to be found in the vintage, but a solid decade in the bottle has allowed the wine’s constituent components to be better heard through the blaze of fruit. In fact, the fruit bomb this wine was in its youth has been replaced now by a wine of impressive depth and complexity, with a reticence that augurs very well for the serious longevity of this vintage. The nose offers up a complex melange of dark berries, eucalyptus, coffee, strong herb tones and nutty, vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is medium-full, deep and tightly-knit, with a rock solid core of fruit, impressive intensity, and a very long and moderately tannic finish. The tannins here are very well-integrated into the body of the wine, making it drinkable now, but it is still so primary that I would strongly suggest burying it in a cool corner of the cellar for another half dozen years or so. 2007-2035. (Nov 2003)"

93 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "My last bottle from the case. Such is life. Fully developed, with a truffle, cigar box and earthy, red berry nose, the wine is medium/full bodied, with soft, silky tannins and an earthy, plum filled nose. This has lost some of its weight and depth and has started its slow decline. There is no urgency to drink up, but it's not a wine to hold for further aging. (Nov 2017)"