x
  • Country ranking ?

    640
  • Producer ranking ?

    35
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    Sweet Banoffee Pie

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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Parker 98 points: There is no other wine in the world like it, and there is no other luxury wine that can possibly justify its price as much as Yquem. The remarkable amount of painstaking labor necessary to produce the nectar known as Yquem is almost impossible to comprehend. This is a fascinating effort. With greater evidence of botrytis than the colossal 1983, but less power and alcohol, the 1986 Yquem tastes reminiscent of the 1975, only more precocious, as well as more concentrated. Several highly respected Bordeaux negociants who are Yquem enthusiasts claim the 1986 Yquem is the greatest wine produced at the property since the legendary 1937. Its enthralling bouquet of pineapples, sauteed hazelnuts, vanillin, and ripe apricots is breathtaking. Compellingly concentrated, the breadth as well as depth of flavor seemingly know no limits. This full-bodied, powerful, yet impeccably balanced Yquem should provide memorable drinking for 40-55 more years. Like the 1983, this is another winemaking tour de force. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2040.

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The Story

The pleasure derived from tasting Yquem is difficult to describe.

It offers a myriad of well-balanced, complex flavours that generate even more harmonies over time. The impression that remains is reminiscent of a quote from Frédéric Dard "the silence that follows a piece by Mozart, in which the listener remains suffused with the music". This reflects the fact that Château d'Yquem stays on the palate for a remarkable long time, providing a unique, prolonged pleasure. There is a lovely expression in French to describe Yquem's tremendously long aftertaste: il fait la queue du paon, which means that it spreads out like a peacock's tail.

 

It is always difficult to describe wine-tasting experiences with any precision. The senses of sight, smell, taste and touch are all stimulated virtually at the same time. While gifted tasters can identify some of the aromas and flavours in a glass of Yquem in an effort to define its complexity, they never really succeed in communicating its essence or explaining its mystery. Mere analysis, whether chemical or organoleptic, is not sufficient to account for Yquem's greatness. Yquem tells a unique story... It starts with the bouquet. Although not always very outgoing in young vintages, it is marked by fruit (apricot, mandarin, and occasionally tropical fruit) and oak (vanilla and toasty aromas). Older vintages, on the other hand, have an extraordinarily complex fragrance as soon as the bottle is opened, with hints of dried fruit (dried apricot, prune, stewed fruit, and marmalade), spice (cinnamon, saffron, and liquorice), and even flowers (lime blossom, etc.). The first impression of Château d'Yquem on the palate is always very silky, and often sumptuous. It then fills out, "coating the palate". This fine wine has a strong, but never overbearing character, with great elegance and poise. It always maintains a balance between sugar and acidity (sweetness and freshness). A touch of bitterness can also contribute to the overall harmony. Château d'Yquem's aftertaste is legendary, and it tells another story, which lasts and lasts…

Certain connoisseurs consider it outrageous to drink a young Yquem and believe that opening such a monumental wine before its thirtieth birthday is tantamount to a sacrilege. Others, on the contrary, think that Yquem can be enjoyed at all stages in its life.

 

Chateau d`Yquem is often described as the greatest sweet wine in the world. After centuries of family ownership, Yquem was was bought by Louis Vuitton-Moët-Hennessy in 1999. Its former owner and director Alexandre de Lur-Saluce remains in charge. Yquem is located on the highest hill in Sauternes and enjoys the best growing conditions in the whole appellation. The 110-hectare vineyard is planted with 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Only fully botrytized fruit is picked by the 150 highly skilled pickers and yields are so low that each vine produces only one glass of wine. Yquem is fermented in oak barrels (100% new) and is left in barriques to mature for up to 36 months. Intensely opulent when young, Yquem develops an extraordinary complexity and exotic richness when fully mature, with the best vintages lasting for over 50 years. Château d'Yquem is classified as a 1er Cru Classé supérieur.

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Wine Information

In 2015, and from an Imperial, an amazing botrytis and grapefruit nose. Then the apricots and caramel come rolling in. Rich crème brûlée Yquem, with fresh, peachy acidity and a real youthful spring in its step, probably due to the large format. Ends on a juicy oranges note. Serena Sutcliffe, MW WA 96

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Tasting note

color

Medium, Amber and Healthy

ending

Long, Extensive and Flavorful

flavors

Vanilla, Toasty and Honey

nose

Intense, Complex and Opulent

recommend

Yes

taste

Low in Acidity, Concentrated, Well-Integrated, Complex, Elegant, Ripe and Full

Verdict

Sophisticated and Outstanding

Written Notes

The last wine of this flight was a disappointing 1986 d’Yquem. It smelled on the tight side and was icy in its profile. There was a bit of Teppanaki to some meaty qualities, and ‘smoky’ and ‘cheese’ came from the crowd. Its flavors were a bit awkward after the first three, and this was less pure with a bit of alley and wet cement on its finish. It should no longer be in the discussion of great Yquems from the Eighties (93).
  • 93p

Deep golden. Rich, intense, apricots, nuts, intense, caramel, deep, heavy, light floral notes above. Fresh acidity, lively, intense, rich, brown sugar, deeper and heavier than former bottles of this vintage, deep, rich, intense, layered, long. 97

  • 97p

Tasted on the 9th December 2016. Extremely refined and distinguished wine with stunningly intense noble rot, enormous depth, intensity and length, exemplary balance and oceans of nuances.

  • 98p
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Information

Origin

Sauternes, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Satisfactory

Investment potential

Very Good

Fake factory

None

Glass time

2h
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