Chateauneuf du Pape Les Clefs d'Or, 1989

From a half bottle, this Chateauneuf is fully mature and lovely. The color is deep and dark, but there are garnet amber tones of maturity. The bouquet and flavors are classic mature Chateauneuf: dried red berries with hints of black pepper and spices, concentrated as in fruit cake. Very rich but not heavy and no hard edges. It's not as good as the 1989 Lucien Barrot but made in the same mode. 13.5% alcohol is probably understating it, but there are no disagreeable high-alcohol traits as in most 2003 Southern Rhones. Mature but not fading.