Such a beautiful and poignant pleasant surprise. Opened for my father in law’s 80th birthday and expected something historically interesting but way past its prime.
First good sign was the cork — I opened with a Durand but could have used a regular corkscrew — it held together great. Next good sign was the color — lighter red-brown, like a young amontillado.
Nose — deep rich caramel and apricots. Fresh apricots! At 80 years. Depth and complexity off the charts, felt like exploring the story of the 80 years.
Palate — vibrant fresh acid (the apricots again) and that long caramel. The freshness was stunning. If the color was lighter I could have believed 20 years old. Moderate sweetness.
Finish — like the nose, long and gorgeously integrated and savory but still fresh.
Again — beautiful surprise. Incredibly grateful to have lucked into such a beautifully preserved bottle.
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Same bottle as Ashish (thanks to Herwig!). Gorgeous aromatics. Palate deeply complex but with surprising verve and energy. Elegant. Long salt and pepper finish. A real joy and privilege to try this wine.
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Dinner with Herwig (Heirloom Cafe, SF): Deep orange-caramel, appropriate color for its age; intense aromatics with dried orange, apricot, some honey, developed but not quite caramel, a little nutty with almond; palate is richly textured but absolutely vibrant acidity, orange peel, orange marmalade, dried apricot, intense with some spice, complexity; finish is long. The only comparison I have for this is the ‘67 which was more complex, but this is a special experience and certainly a stellar Sauternes and Yquem. 96
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Dried raisin, lifted aromatics. Fresh palate, very clean with good acidity. Held together over 2 hour lunch, persistent. Interesting how this converges with port and madeira at this age.
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Direct from the chateau. Almost red in color, rather than the typical dark brown of older d'Yquem. A fun bottle to drink, given its wartime lineage. Much less sweetness and fruit vs. other older vintages.
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3/19/2023 - sh6k Likes this wine: 98 Points
Such a beautiful and poignant pleasant surprise. Opened for my father in law’s 80th birthday and expected something historically interesting but way past its prime.
First good sign was the cork — I opened with a Durand but could have used a regular corkscrew — it held together great. Next good sign was the color — lighter red-brown, like a young amontillado.
Nose — deep rich caramel and apricots. Fresh apricots! At 80 years. Depth and complexity off the charts, felt like exploring the story of the 80 years.
Palate — vibrant fresh acid (the apricots again) and that long caramel. The freshness was stunning. If the color was lighter I could have believed 20 years old. Moderate sweetness.
Finish — like the nose, long and gorgeously integrated and savory but still fresh.
Again — beautiful surprise. Incredibly grateful to have lucked into such a beautifully preserved bottle.
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1/11/2023 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 96 Points
Same bottle as Ashish (thanks to Herwig!). Gorgeous aromatics. Palate deeply complex but with surprising verve and energy. Elegant. Long salt and pepper finish. A real joy and privilege to try this wine.
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1/10/2023 - aagrawal wrote: 96 Points
Dinner with Herwig (Heirloom Cafe, SF): Deep orange-caramel, appropriate color for its age; intense aromatics with dried orange, apricot, some honey, developed but not quite caramel, a little nutty with almond; palate is richly textured but absolutely vibrant acidity, orange peel, orange marmalade, dried apricot, intense with some spice, complexity; finish is long. The only comparison I have for this is the ‘67 which was more complex, but this is a special experience and certainly a stellar Sauternes and Yquem. 96
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11/17/2018 - fcxj wrote: 96 Points
Dried raisin, lifted aromatics. Fresh palate, very clean with good acidity. Held together over 2 hour lunch, persistent. Interesting how this converges with port and madeira at this age.
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12/6/2014 - BradE wrote:
Direct from the chateau. Almost red in color, rather than the typical dark brown of older d'Yquem. A fun bottle to drink, given its wartime lineage. Much less sweetness and fruit vs. other older vintages.
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