1990 wine
About the 1990 vintage
1990 Vintage Port :
The 1990 Port vintage produced abundant quantities of good quality port wine. Generally produced as Single Qunitas and outstanding Colheita Port. Paul Symington writes "The Douro 1990 Vintage can be summed up in just four words – production, enormous – quality, excellent. The 1990 Vintage has probably favoured not so much the very early starting quintas, but those whose grapes were picked from the third week of September onwards; however, overall quality promises to be good to excellent." 29 October 1990.
1990 Italian :
1990 was a spectacular vintage for Italy, one of the best in modern times. Most producers made very good wines at all levels. The wines are drinking well but will continue to develop with good cellaring.
1990 Bordeaux :
1990 Wine Vintage was the third year in a row of excellent Bordeaux vintages. The hot, dry sunny year ensured that, like many of the great vintages, 1990 produced rich wines from across the Bordeaux region. Many of the red wines from this vintage have a roasted or baked quality derived from the hot sun ripening the grapes. The vintage is characterised by having a tannic quality coupled with low acidity. Most of the quality wines from this vintage are still at the peak of their maturity, making them great 30 year old wine gifts for a birthday or anniversary.
1990 wine Gift Ideas
1990 Chateau Haut Brion
The only non-Médoc estate to be included in the famous 1855 classification, Château Haut-Brion’s viticultural history can be traced back further than its Médoc first growth counterparts. Located in the bustling commercial suburb of Pessac, Haut-Brion was purchased by the American family Dillon in 1935 when it was in a considerably poor condition, the family invested greatly in the estate and today this property is one of the showpiece estates of Graves. At Haut-Brion wines are fermented in stainless steel vats, after which the wine will spend 22 months, sometimes more, in new oak barrels before being bottled unfiltered.
Reviews
Score: 98 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (183), June 2009
In terms of the brilliant complexity and nobility of the aromatics, scorched earth, black currants, plums, charcoal, cedar, and spices, the 1990 offers an aromatic explosion that is unparalleled. It is always fascinating to taste this wine next to the 1989, which is a monumental effort, but much more backward and denser, without the aromatic complexity of the 1990. The 1990 put on weight after bottling, and is currently rich, full-bodied, opulent, even flamboyant by Haut Brion's standards. It is an incredible expression of a noble terroir in a top vintage. While it has been fully mature for a number of years, it does not reveal any bricking at the edge, and I suspect it will stay at this level for another 10-15 years ... but why wait? It is irresistible now. Drink 2009-2024.
Mid to light brick with a very pale rim. Pure hedonism on the nose - more obviously characteristic Haut-Brion warm bricks/roasted than the 2000. Lightish but sweet and voluptuous nose - so ripe and warm it is almost like an ancient old style Chilean (which may strike some as heresy, not least a small sect in Pessac). Caresses the palate. Very complete and long. Mouthfilling, long. Complete. Lighter than the 1989 Haut-Brion. A delicious drink now. You could keep it but what would you be waiting for exactly? This is surely at the peak of its powers. It should drink well for 10-12 years. Date tasted 16th Oct 07.
Score: 18.5 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, October 2007
Price: £895.00
1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Reviews.
96 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Interestingly, a bottle of 1990 Lafite Rothschild I pulled from my cellar for a video blog on my web site was still buttoned down, tight, and even with extended decanting was not showing as much as I would have hoped. However, a bottle tasted, of all places, in Seoul, Korea in February, was only a few points short of perfection. That amazing performance motivated me to pull another bottle out of my cellar and follow it over the course of two days. Sure enough, by the second day the wine was roaring from the glass. The 1990 Lafite has turned out far better than my early assessment. While it still possesses some firmness, and performs like a late adolescent in terms of its evolution, it boasts gorgeous aromas of cedar, tobacco leaf, cassis, and lead pencil shavings. The explosive aromas are followed by a fleshy, full-bodied wine that should hit its peak in 5-8 years, and last for 25-30 more. (RP) (6/2009)
96 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Saturated deep red. Shoe polish, minerals and cassis on the nose, with a hint of toasty oak. Intensely flavored, vibrant fruit shows great middle-palate fullness for a young Lafite. Very long, multidimensional finish of great subtlety. Has the acidity and tannic underpinning for long life. An outstanding, classic Lafite; claret for the millennium. Along with Latour, an early candidate for Medoc of the vintage. (ST) (11/1993)
95 points Wine Spectator
Very serious fruit, with juicy berry, tobacco and cedar character. Slightly more body than the 1989, but they are very close in character. (JS) (2/2005)
Jancis Robinson
Dark ruby. Lively, fresh and transparent at first with the soaraway refined scent of a Lafite. Then it took on the typical concentrated rich and velvety character of a fine 1990. Long. Impressive. 18.5/20 points (JR) (12/2012)
Price: £695.00
1990 Chateau Guiraud
This is a classic Sauternes with a great deal of sweetness, plenty of ripeness, and obvious aromas of toasty, smoky new oak. The wine exhibits finesse and complexity, a style of Sauternes that will have its admirers, particularly among those who like to drink these wines as an aperitif.
Robert PARKER - The Wine Advocate
A showy display of power, highly extracted, smoky, buttery, pineapple and orange-scented fruit, lavish quantities of toasty new oak, and unctuously thick, massive flavors and texture. This huge wine avoids being overbearing because of its adequate acidity. (4-1995).
91 / 100
Wine Spectator
Very ripe and deliciously sticky. Dark gold color with an amber hue. Dried apricot and orange peel aromas. Full-bodied and lightly sweet, with a ginger and dried citrus finish. - 1990 Bordeaux retrospective. (8-2000).
Price: £79.95
1990 Chateau Yquem
Yquem is indisputedly the best wine in Sauternes and may well be the finest sweet wine in the world.
Meticulously made with incredible power, texture, complexity and ageing potential The 1989 is a powerful, intense, rich wine; astonishingly complex; perfectly balanced and a fine, persistent finish.
Spends three years in barrel, and keeps and improves for 15, 50, even 100+ years in great vintages.
Yquem recommend trying this with oysters, lobster, foie gras, or just on its own.
Price: £395.00
1990 Cabernet
Caves S. Joao, established in 1920, became a dominant force in Portuguese wine making in the early 20th century with their houses Porta dos Cavaleiros in Dao and Frei Joao in Bairrada. Given the shifting trends in consumer preferences, Bairrada and Dao fell to obscurity in the 1990s when critical influence drove the demand for bigger, extracted, warmer climate wines. As in all things, however, what comes around goes around! Sure enough, 20 years later savvy consumers and food-conscious sommeliers are looking for finesse and freshness and heading back to Bairrada and Dao. Wines that when young had a vegetal character, pronounced tannins and high acidity aged gracefully when kept in perfect condition at the winery for 20-40 years, and are now pristine examples of mature wines with profound finesse and irreplicable complexity.
Price: £49.00
See the full range of 1990 wine when you visit Vintage Wine and Port
When looking for that perfect 1990 wine we can provide advice to ensure that the wine you select from 1990 is the very best vintage wine for your needs.
You can browse our selection of 1990 wines at our site 1990 wine, or take a look at our description here of the 1990 vintage to learn about the wine characteristics from 1990's season. Also check out our selection of 1990's highly recommended wines from our online vintage wine portfolio.
Our 1990 wines can be delivered direct anywhere in the UK. For a small additional charge, the wine can be packaged in a beautiful, silk-lined wooden presentation box with tasting notes and a personalised message.
