Medium to dark amber. Nose of perfumed apricot, honeycomb, stone, bruised apple. Complex, fresh layers of butterscotch, peach, apricot, and caramel cascading across the tongue. Sweet but not cloying, with exceptional delineation and detail. Long finish of white peach, vanilla, and steely apricot. A happy conclusion to a family birthday party.
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Another showstopper. I've had some variation with this wine, but this might have been the best showing I've ever had from it. A soft cork with a slightly odd smell had me worried for a second, but that worry dissipated once I poured the first glass. All the honey, orange marmalade, crème brulée, vanilla, and tropical fruited goodness of Sauternes in spades, and that luscious richness and power of Yquem. This isn't a light dessert wine and it's not trying to be one, it's showing off its power and intensity and botrytis, and it's absolutely spectacular. Just a perfect match with canelés de Bordeaux. I can't think of many wines that mirror the flavours of a dish as perfectly as Sauternes and canelés mirror each other.
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Tinned peaches and vanilla along with some honey and caramel. Sweet, but not overly so. Nice texture and a finish that is clean and invites another sip.
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This had been opened for a few days and I don’t know how it was kept in the meantime. Friend brought it over and poured me a glass. Color was quite evolved. Toasted almond, marzipan, honey, candied ginger, orange marmalade, and caramel. Ample acidity and good balance. I look forward to having a more intimate experience with the 375ml bottle I have.
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Red Wine: No great wines, only great bottles (Salil's, Albany, NY): [Pop and pour.] Nose of thick honey and botrytis. Rich in the mouth. Delicious but doesn't have the brightness, depth, or complexity of the bottle on 11/21/2023. Still worth drinking, and very good with Salil's fabulous Canelés de Bordeaux.
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Not quite on the level of the bottle that Ken brought over a couple of months ago, although this is still delicious and not a wine I'd ever pass up. This one felt a bit lighter, not showing quite the same richness and luscious fruit as the last bottle, but still has those classic vanilla/honey/orange marmalade/botrytis spice notes, and a brighter saffron-like aromatic element. Still very tasty, especially with canelés.
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7th and 8th of 24, pnp, perfect cork and level, mid yellow, unctuous but youthful, second bottle slightly more caramel to supplement fresh fruit flavours in the first, wonderfully long, complex and persistent, seems to be entering a long drinking window. VF+ (19).
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Good vintages of Yquem (Chicago, IL): Always a stellar bottle in the trilogy. Intense spice and botrytis, rich and opulent, and just a splendid bottle of Yquem drinking very well now, despite its just entering middle age. If you're ever wondering what botrytis tastes like, this is a great example -- all of those classic hallmarks are there. A slight bitterness helps counteract the sweetness, yielding a large-scaled, rich wine in full balance. Never for a moment does this feel imbalanced or ungainly.
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Sauternes Chinese Banquet Dinner: Half bottle. Amber. Toffee and caramel. Very sweet and viscous with a definite touch of oxidation. Complex, long, and some apricot fruit but it lacked the great acidity of other bottles and seemed on the downside.
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All Sauternes, All Night (R & G Lounge, SF): A truly great wine. So much to unpack here. The complete package on the nose - white and yellow flowers, cold steel, botrytis spice, well integrated oak, some subtle white truffle. So complex on the palate, it sends shivers down the spine, with golden raisin, fine honeyed mead, creme brulee, saffron, more white truffle, and a gobsmacking finish that goes on for minutes. Others at the table thought this was perhaps a bit more advanced than it should be, but I found it to be a complete stunner.
All-sauternes dinner; 12/2/2023-12/3/2023 (R&G Lounge, San Francisco): From 375mL. Darker golden-caramel; high intensity aromatics, caramel, burnt sugar; palate has richness, absolutely crazy complexity, caramel; long finish. One of the better bottles of this that I’ve opened. Some mentioned that perhaps this was advanced, but I think that's the vintage more than this particular bottle. It's definitely far along the maturity curve, but showing tons of complexity and depth even if it doesn't has as much fruit as the '89 Suduiraut Cuvee Madame. 96 Day 2: Still rich, aromatic, complex, with plenty of toffee and caramel; unctuous but balanced with medium-plus acidity, vibrant throughout the palate. This held up quite well a day later for a wine at this age, but it's no better than when it was first opened.
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50th Birthday Bash: Revisited this wine again but this time with Dried Cheery Sauce & Cinnamon Ice Cream instead of the delicious Foie Gras Terrine. While great, I prefer it coming earlier in the evening with Foie Gras.
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50th Birthday Bash: This has everything I love about mature Yquem! The classic pairing with Foie Gras made it a wonderful tasting experience. We saved some of the 750ml of the Yquem for the end of the night with our dessert course. Delicious!
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Any tasting that ends with Château d'Yquem is automatically a memorable tasting in my mind. It helps when that d'Yquem is the iconic 1989 vintage. A nose dominated by tropical fruits immediately made this aged Sauternes approachable as aromas of caramel, quince jam and light honey balanced out the fruit. The palate had a strong concentration of mango, grapefruit and quince that were incredibly well balanced alongside oak, cedar, honey and caramel. A long, silky finish, I found myself picking up notes of bergamot and herbs alongside some mild spice. What an experience. One of the crème de la crème's of modern d'Yquem.
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Wonderful showing, all honey and vanilla and orange marmalade and the other classic botrytis/Yquem flavours, conveyed with that unique Yquem sense of richness and power. Paired beautifully with the canelés.
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6 or 12 PnP amber color, nose of tropical fruits, moderate acidity, less sweet than the last bottle, silky smooth texture, balanced persistent finish. As always a wonderful glass to finish a great meal
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A beautiful bottle of this which I find reaching full maturity a bit earlier than expected. Nevertheless, the amazing richness of apricot and tropical fruit flavors combined with zippy acidity provide a classic Yquem experience on the exotic side of the spectrum. This went down so fine and smooth at the end of a great meal. The "Taste Buds" at Fairview CC.
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From half bottle. This was a bit of a disappointment compared to expectations, but still a good wine. On the positive side, the wine was very fresh with a good acid backbone. The quince and apricot fruit was quite pure and pronounced, and the typical strong saffron and spice layers were enchanting. On the negative side, it was less complex than other vintages and bottles I've had, and there was a slight off note that dissipated a bit with aeration but never completely disappeared. I could not quite make out whether it was the wet cardboard smell I sometimes find in old Sauternes (Rieussec!) or a tiny bit of cork taint.
Decanting: I would decant for two hours.
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{Same bottle as DH90 scores, which he brought to DE dinner party; excellent fill} A bit dark, commensurate with age. Fresh, apricots, stone fruit, almost decadent, forever length. Very 1989. May be underscoring.
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Medium amber color. Initially redolent with tangerine peel, fenugreek, and honey. Has moderate acidity that compensated for the residual sugar. After further oxygen exposure, it became more complex with toffee, creme brûlée, and a rich long finish. Lovely wine although it certainly will continue to last.
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Another youngish Sauternes that is drinking exceptionally well now. This has average balance and finish compared to other d’yuem. Should be decanted for 1 hour before consuming. Will last forever.
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Tawny orange. Clean and well aged, fruits and spice, Softened up, pure clean flavours, light orange and toffee, silky texture, superb long palate and finish. Absolutely delicious in a refined mature way. Has all the rich aged characters but stylistically perfect.
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Another great wine dinner with Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Expressive nose displaying rich opulent yellow fruit, apricot, dry mango, yellow peach, candied ginger, saffron, botrytis, crème brulee. Honey and mineral. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of rich yellow fruit, dense and intense but also showing very good balance and detail, bright acidity, strong mineral, and a long sweet yellow fruit driven finish with saffron at the end. This youthful example can easily improve for a few more decades becoming lighter and more tertiary.
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This bottle was a gift for my 50. Birthday. It left my winefridge for a week ago, was stranding to let depot Fall down, not much but some. Color was amazing golden elegance, drunk from Zalto Bordeaux, simple load with layers of mentol, dry fruits, freshness with sweet background, never too much sweetnees, totalt balanced, and foie gras plus the blue cheeses all went togheter in perfect harmony, what not to like, I was satisfied .
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From 375mL. Copper color, which seems a bit on the darker side even for this vintage but still within the realm of reasonable; aromatic, treacle, burnt caramel, dried apricot, slight spice; palate is medium bodied, sweetness still present and dominant but integrated, medium-plus vibrant acidity throughout, certainly dried fruit, dried apricot and peach, fruit fades just a bit through the midpalate; finish is medium-plus but falls short of long. It seems mature (Stage 3) but not overly so… it will continue to evolve with a few more years and has decades to go before it hits stage 4. 93-94 Well, we finished this quite quickly. Easily drinkable, pairs superbly with a panna cotta and some mild blue cheese.
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Pre-2002 Rousseau Dinner (WS NYC): Such a wonderful comparison to the TBA, this was also sweet, but more ethereal and elegant. This didn't have the same cloying sweetness, but more bright and balanced. Wonderful, but my vote was for the TBA.
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Freshness, purity, and more layers of roasted, apricots, pineapples, yellow plums, nuts, caramel, and spice slathered in honey and butterscotch are only part of what you will encounter here. It is the racy lift, and vibrance on the palate that makes it all work, finishing with its lively endnotes. As good as this is, it is only getting started. I imagine this will drink well for at least another 50-75 years if well stored. That is why d'Yquem is d'Yquem.
February foie (Chicago, IL): From half-bottle. This has always been the most opulent and richest of the legendary Yquem trio. The botrytis is off the charts here, and there are far more burnt sugar/caramel/Maillard flavours in this wine. It's the sweetest and most intense, and while the acidity isn't as bright as the 1990, the intensity and extract is probably at max here. The palate texture is also the densest and most oily; despite that, this never feels out of balance at all.
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Deep golden/amber leaning colour in the glass. Tremendously complex nose of dried apricot, marmalade, clove, furniture polish, honeycomb, candied pineapple, crème brulee, decaying forest/fungal growth type undertones. On the palate, marmalade, brown spice and burnt sugar, with a lingering finish that prompts the voice inside one’s head – time for another sip. Always a treat to go back and re-taste legends from the past. A small step behind the bottle had many moons ago, as this example has shed some of its youthful vigor.
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A Tour de Force 'Best Bottle' Tasting (Republique, Los Angeles): A better bottle than my last tasting of this vintage, which was lacking in acid. Dark brown in color. The wine was unctuous, and sweet but not cloying, I recall plenty of honey, coconut and tropical fruit.
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Paired with Vanilla Bean Panacotta with Mango Chutney and Toffee Crumble. Cellar temp. A nose of creme brulee jumped out of the glass. Some apricot, honeysuckle, and mango. On the palate, mouth coating and rich. Apricot, mango, slight burnt sugar. Loved it. A finish that lasted forever.
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Sunday round 2 (Chicago, IL): Very botrytis-inflected, with a nose that seems to be dominated by orange peel, spice, and a bit of burnt sugar as well. I admit this doesn't seem to be as thickly textured as I remember it a few years ago (and somehow I thought I had preferred the 1990 more, but that's why we write things down). In any case, this is definitely a very rich and heavy wine; the sort where a little goes a long way. On the palate the character is similar with the botrytis and burnt sugar, and there is a little bit of bitterness on the finish that adds to the overall sensation of this wine.
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Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): This is one of my favorite years of this wine. Funny because when we first started drinking it everyone talked more about the 90 but I think the 89 is superior mostly because there's a lovely freshness to this wine. Still there. Delicately sweet. Not quite cloying but it does skirt on that edge. Rich and elegant at the same time. Paired with a boeuf course of all things and surprisingly it was right there. The salty and sweet. Very nice.
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I had the pleasure of having my brother-in-law open a 1989 d’Yquem and it was amazing. The only other d’Yquem I had ever tried was the 2009, which was just slightly better. Very distinctive notes apricot, mango & honey with a lingering finish made for a very memorable tasting. The thing that stands out to me is how drinking d’Yquem brings such a laser focus on such well delineated notes. Virtually no ambiguity as the group compared tasting notes. Truly a great experience.
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Kleur: Oranjebruin. Aroma / bouquet: Inmiddels is het bouquet van deze wijn meer fragiel, maar daardoor niet minder verleidelijk. Een bouquet dat bloemig begint, met tonen van honing, pruimencompote en sinaasappelschil. Smaak / Afdronk: Een weldadige combinatie van zacht zuur en een filmende zoetheid, retronasale indrukken van mandarijntjes, sinaasappelschil en geconfijte kumquat. Geweldig geconcentreerd met een lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: D'Yquem stelde me nog nooit teleur, dit is één van mijn mooiste ervaringen met deze wijn, grenzend aan perfectie. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 19 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 98/100
Color: Orange-brown Aroma / bouquet: Meanwhile, the bouquet of this wine is more fragile, but no less seductive. A bouquet that starts floral, with notes of honey, plum compote and orange zest. Taste / Aftertaste: A soothing combination of soft acidity and a filming sweetness, retronasal notes of tangerines, orange peel and candied kumquat. Great concentrated with a long finish. Overall / potential: D'Yquem has never disappointed me, this is one of my best experiences with this wine, bordering on perfection. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Taste / Finish: 19 + Overall / potential: 10 = 98/100
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Half bottle, my first D’Yquem, one word explosive! Lol, ya that good, this was complex, sexy, meditation wine too ... best sweet wine I’ve had by a mile, thanks big O! 97
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It is impossible to get tired of tasting d'Yquem. And why should they? With that special razor's edge of acidity that cuts through all the sweet, overripe, pineapple, apricot, mango, nut, and other assorted tropical fruits all coated with honey, this is a gem on your palate. It is incredible to think this is still in its adolescent stage. I am sure your grandchildren will be enjoying this wine in their old age.
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Heavy botrytis year. Still not cloying. Big, rich wine. Honeysuckle and mountain meadow flowers. Very nice wine. I tend to like the lighter less botrytis dense wines better
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Unbelievable! Gorgeous with a Long life ahead. Starting to brown in the bottle. Honey, apricots, orange peel and a hint of tobacco/smoke. The finish was ethereal. We thought a 750 mL was too much for 6 people, but that turned out to be false. Enjoy.
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Just a small taste - but what a taste. This has many layers, a good, mineral character, citrus, honey, butter, a vertical structure. Many years ahead here. #Klampenborg
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This was a singularly perfect wine and experience. We had son and his girlfriend out to dinner. We were drinking Champagne. This wine had been on my mind all night after seeing it on the list. I say what the heck toward the end, after the Sommelier let me see the bottle. I cannot begin to describe how perfect the wine was. The best I can do is list the bullets I wrote at the table on my phone... 1989 y Infinante lightness Medium color Brown gold, lively. 31 yo soooooo light and lively. Easy, but complex as the universe... Weightless. Barely affects you but overwhelming perfection, weight, balance!!!!!” Fresh sawed greenwood with a hint of mint leaf and fat wood
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From half bottle, deep yellow color, tropical fruits, honey, chalk, extraordinarily rich and unctuous, viscous, evident Sauternes bitterness ending or shall I say, never ending finish. Drink the day before you die.
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Drank this at a wine dinner in NYC with Erez and Jay. This was a dark color. Sweet. It was delicious. I can't find additional notes, but you won't be disappointed if you drink this now.
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New Year's Eve Dinner and Enjoyed 1966, 1981, 1996, and 1989 Bordeaux (Flemings, Walnut Creek, Ca.): For Dessert-paired by itself, I opened a 375ml bottle, nose of honeysuckle, caramel, pear, lemon, lime, melon, slate, and honeycomb, same on the palate, big body, rich fruit, lovely fruit, balanced sweetness and fruit, terrific, mouth filling fruit, needs no accompaniment, long, long, lovely finish and aftertaste. Uploaded photo.
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Canned apricot, dried fig, orange blossom, molasses, and cinnamon on the nose. Effortless balance aside from my usual want of a smidge more acidity. Great concentration to the apricot and peach flavors that linger on the broad finish. Very good and makes one want to stage a d'Yquem 88/89/90 vertical.
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Decades of Decadence - "The 9's" (Buellton, CA): Amber color. Aromas of dried apricot, tea leaf spices and flowers. Exotic and fresh palate showing exotic stone fruit, frommage and florals. Great acid and texture, rich depth and length. Showing beautifully.
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Top 89 Bordeaux (Noizé, London): Incredibly dark. Somewhere between a Rivesaltes and tawny port. Lots of muscavardo. Some tropical notes,but significantly more evolved than a bottle on another table which was half the co.our (mid gold), fresher and more tropical. This bottle **** (91), the fresher one 93.
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I'm surprised by some of the notes on color. I bought 750mL's on release and drank the latest bottle Oct 2019. Cellar is held at 60°F. Color was golden but in no way brown. Not as rich as some other vintages but extremely fresh at 30 years. refined and delicate and impeccably balanced, with a shockingly long finish, esp considering its lightfootedness.
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The Yquem 1989 (from half bottles) is a volatile beast and we have ploughed through about half a case of halves and decided to throw the towel and sell the rest. This bottle was the last half in my Eurocave. Served side by side Climens 07 this fox coloured specimen gave pleasure but wasn't earth-shaking - at least an acceptable bottle - note-ably less sweet then the Climens at this stage (although the Climens was not cloying as it had the acidity to balance it), quite salty and smokey with some toffee notes. A nice glass of Sauternes.
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I love Sauternes! Dark high-carat gold, maybe "strawberry blond" almost. Typically, complex somewhat overwhelming noble bouquet. Such joy. Honey, syrupy viscosity, possibly light hints of subtle lime and possibly a hint of chocolate. Very complex and wonderful to enjoy. LOOONNNNGGGGG. Great with the foie gras and brioche!!!
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Hugh’s bottle. Wine of the Night, as Château d’Yquem often is. Gorgeous balance, not too gloppy, sweet or honeyed. Almost reserved in Sauternes terms, the fruit emphasizes peach rather than orange peel. Just the right amount of vanilla oak and acid. It’s in the Spring of its life. Wow.
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Po’s 89 Bordeaux @ Trompette (La Trompette, London): Really quite medicinal. Deep amber to a touch it tawny. A fair whack of botrytis. Concentrated barley sugar without the apparent sweetness. Concentrated. Some stewed apricot too. Lightens it’s aspect with air, sweetens too and becomes less medicinal. Decent acidity too. I do like this after all. ****
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1989 Bordeaux Dinner (Joseph's Place, Wong Chung Hang, Hong Kong): From several 375ml. Deep copper-gold. Nose is OMFG...wall paper paste, vanilla pod, lemon grass.... so complex and rich. Palate is liquid gold, copper-ish in the mouth, vanilla pod, the sweetest subtlest honeysuckle, gosh... so young, fresh and multi-tiered... stupidly complex. Wondrously complex and mesmeric on the finale.... so young yet so complete. It sent me into reveries..... WOTN by a wide margin. 96+
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#3 of 12 Similar to last bottle, as noted darker than I would expect given its age but again it looks more mature than it drinks, and I am pleased to say it drinks very well indeed. Once again Yquem, regardless of vintage, is in a class by itself.
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Pale straw, very youthful. Pure, ripe, spicy, honey, floral, Mineral zest, lightly apricot, honeysuckle, fine oak spice. Spectacular length, resonates endlessly.
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It is never the sweetness on its own that makes this work. It is the razor-edged acidity that makes the honeyed, tropical yellow and orange fruit, flowers, butterscotch, burnt caramel, and vanilla pop. Young, fresh, vibrant, full-bodied and complex, drink it now or save it for your kids. I am sure this will age for at least another 30-40 or 50 years if well-stored!
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1989 Bordeaux - 30 years on. (Famous Treasure, Capitol Piazza, Singapore): Such a lovely way to end the night. D’yquem, like so many other lesser Sauternes, really hit the spot in 1989. The nose was wonderful - treacle, honey, molasses, and then dried figs, liquered apricots, peaches, and just that touch of d’Yquem coconut. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. The palate was beautiful. Soft and all-enveloping, it unfolded in layers of dried peaches and nectarines, honey and spice, coconut and a bit of treacle, all spiked with a bit of soft, orangey acidity. Really delicious stuff - this was hedonism in a glass. Great finish too, with a blush of orange blossoms and sweet dried stone fruit flavours sticking to the back of the palate and refusing to let go. A wonderful wine, drinking beautifully well right now. This is nigh indestructible though, and should age effortlessly through the decades.
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80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc. En la época de vendimia, un equipo de 180 personas trabaja durante 6 u 8 semanas, ya que la recolección se realiza grano a grano, no racimo a racimo, y solamente los que tienen el punto buscado de Botrytis. Pueden realizarse un mínimo de 6 y hasta 11 pasadas. Nunca se insistirá demasiado en el esmero con que se vinifica Yquem. En la casa nunca se hacen concesiones en las operaciones de vinificación, es el famosos rendimiento real de 9-10 hl/ha. Un primer ensamblaje se realiza 10 meses después de la cosecha, 80% del total del vino. 40 lotes de diferentes parcelas y con los diferentes puntos de madurez conforma la magia de Yquem. El resto se añade (o no) en el ensamblaje final. La fermentación se prolonga entre 4 y 6 semanas y la crianza de 36 meses en barricas de roble 100% nuevo. El ensamblaje final se realiza poco antes de embotellar. Producción aproximada de 80.000 botellas. ----------------------
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If Chateau d'Yquem was a meme, it would be the one from Drake's Hotline Bing. Many shy away from dessert wines under the worn-out phrase "I don't drink sweet wines", but when they see this legendary bottle on the table, a cheshire grin sticks to their faces. These wines are superior in taste and status (hence the name Superior First Growth) indicating that they have complexity, concentration and balance to hold them together for decades, even centuries. It happened only 10 times since 1825 that the crop was so bad the wines were sold anonymously under a random label. This tells you that these guys don't play around.
Deep amber in the glass, like tree sap. Enticing nose taking you on a trip through aromatic realms of dried apricot/mango, caramelized nuts, citrus fruit, nutmeg, honey and Mediterranean herbs. I could go on, but Instagram has limited writing space. Seems lusciously sweet when it just hits the palate, but the acidity cuts this clean somewhere just before the mid-palate emerges. Flawless integration of oak and fruit. Do I have to comment the complexity? Clean, long-lasting aftertaste. This is my first time trying Sauternes and I have to admit, it delivered. Outstanding richness, rounded into silky-smooth elegance. To have such a refreshing dessert wine 30 years after its vintage paired with Moutai souffle by the grand Wai Leong is a true blessing.
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From half bottle. Quite the dark color, well evolved. Similarly on the palate this shows age and definitely one to have sooner than later. Solid acidity, good rich but balanced palate and definitely the elegance that comes with the name. We suspect this was not the best bottle of Yquem 89 around but still a solid 93 for sure.
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Holiday dinner at the French Embassy, Washington D.C. (French Embassy): Also served from a half bottle. While the 1983 seemed to exude dark caramel, this was more white and soft in expression and there seemed to be more balance and the expression of black tea, certainly a botrytis indication, was more pure. For a hot vintage, this was so well balanced. Long finish as well as opulent palate. Bravo!
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I really haven't drunk that much Sauternes over my life span, so giving this wine a perfect score is combined with a whole lot of humility. Still, I have problems finding any weaknesses in this wine, and in addition it provides sheer excitement and pleasure by just being Yquem. Deep yellow colour, verging on golden with a nutty streak. The nose is dominated by citrus in different forms - orange, lime, citrus - but with a myriad of other aspects emerging as I swirl the glass. Caramel, that famous "rancio" note reminiscent of Sherry, dried orange peel, nuts, minerals (iron). It just goes on and on. Full bodied, enormous sweetness balanced with an incredible acidity. Although the wine is almost thick in the mouth it never feels cloying or stale. The aftertaste is clean, fresh and dominated by citrus. Extreme length. At thirty years age, it is still an adolescent. One ofthe best wines I have ever drunk. Oh, and by the way, it was the perfect companion to a piece of Stilton....
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Fabulous nose of tinned peaches, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon and honey. It is full, rich and voluminous. Exotic fruit flavours envelop the palate. For all of its lusciousness it finishes energetically.
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Not a bad Saturday afternoon: Lemon creme brûlée in a bottle, with more acidity than I would have predicted 20 years ago. For a long time this was my third favorite of the brilliant 1988 to 1990 run, but it may have passed the 1990 and is closing in on the 1988 as the balancing acidity becomes more and more apparent.
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Dried apricot, petrol, honey, and burnt creme brulee sugar. Exquisite balance with the right amount of acid to keep the sugar in check. Dense. Finish goes on. Simply delicious.
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From magnum. Mango and dark apricot with light coconut highlights. A lighter overall profile but a crisp finish. Overly saccharine today, time will be required to turn it into something more complex. 93+
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'95/'96 Champagne Celebration (Casa Gill): This was an essentially perfect dessert wine. Honey, apricot, a touch of riesling petrol, caramel...On the palate, amazing acidity balances the sweetness. Just a treat and the best Yquem I've ever had.
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My first time for chateau D'Yquem, tried the 06,97 & 89 at Adams restaurant in Birmingham and they didn't disappoint. The 2006 still young but my 2nd favourite, the 89 is banging and the 97 my 3rd choice. A real treat. Normally D'Yquem is out of my price range but being able to try three different vintages at once was an offer I couldn't refuse.
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Delicious wine. Honey suckle, apricot, stone fruit and mineral with a good acidity. Completely integrated. Very Long on the palate. A lovely wine with decades of life ahead.
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Mostly new friends gathering (Rye Brook): Distressingly the color of bourbon, we were relieved that, while quite advanced, there was plenty of d’Yquem character and complexity. Less fresh and complete than the 1990 I had this year. Less pleasurable than the 90 Raymond Lafon alongside, even if this seemed the better wine in various respects.
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A wine with immense bottle variation - from a case of half bottles. The colour here was such that I would not call anyone bonkers who would have poured it down the sink without even sniffing it. In the decanter it looked like Coca-Cola! Luckily it turned out a lot better then we feared and actually made for a very lovely attempt to "sweeten" the mood after a lovely evening of various wines but with the only wrinkle being England's loss to Croatia in the World Cup semis. Back to the Yquem I have reached the conclusion that it just isn't worth its money given how variable they seem to perform plus other sweet options (Rieussec, Climens etc) in Bordeaux seem to perform at similar levels but the price delta is unbelievable.
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Second time in a year, and the wine delivers as it should. Less forward than 1990 and less full bodied, which I actually like. The nose explodes with botrytis and glue, and on the palate it is obviously very sweet, but less so than 1990. However, there is also less acidity, so the balance is OK. Matter of taste I guess how heavy you want your Yquems to be.
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Château Margaux vertical dinner (Taberna Del Alabardero): At this stage, my palate was just getting too tired. I did get the impression that it was not the freshest example of a 1989 Yquem, not that I have had that many, but thanks to Chris Bublitz and other fine drinking friends who bring such bottles, I can say that it seemed not to be the top example. The color was a bit darker than the 1988 Climens for example. But, again, my note should be taken here with a grain of salt. Sorry.
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Medium amber. Nose of apricot, pear, and a hint of chocolate. On the palate more apricot, vanilla, clotted cream. Medium body, on the less viscous side. Lush but never so sweet as to unbalance the acidity. Great length.
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SLDS January BBQ: Darker coloured than the 1985. Caramel slice, vanilla, chalk, spice and ginger. Intense sweetness on the palate, this is rich and rounded, but still has good nervy acidity. Feels like this still has potential to lift up a notch.
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Bit of a treat. Apricot compote and orange marmalade - specifically Tiptree Tawny Orange - backed by some honey, cream and vanilla with a little umami. So it proves on the palate. The glycerol lends mid palate weight and, whilst this is very good and carries long, it does lack a little acidity for me.
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This had been opened and given a few hours of air before being served, consequently, I think this skewed slightly more towards the richer, baked side of things with more of an emphasis on the caramel, vanilla, honey and brûléed orange notes, rather than a lighter fruit profile. Not necessarily any worse, just a bit different. In general, I think the '89 is a richer, more unctuous, style than say the '88, although the high acidity keeps this very lively and not the least bit cloying. Despite the richer notes, the flavors are still amazingly delineated. Relative to the best D'Yquem's, this might lack a tiny bit of complexity but still exceeds 99% of the wines in the rest of the world. Very expressive on the nose and there is a haunting quality on the very long finish. Excellent wine.
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Finally - after having sampled 5 half bottles this year from a case of halves that has been stored in perfect conditions since release (none of which was the real deal), this one was singing. Lovely honey color (lighter in color then previous not so great bottles), beautiful nose and clean smooth on the palate with some lovely acidity and complexity that only the finest sweet wines can deliver. This was just a tiny notch behind a great 1986 Yquem I had a year ago (the 86 was from standard bottle and probably just showed a bit more intensity while the 89 is a bit higher acidity and more elegant). I guess if you have the choice go for lighter colored bottles based on my recent experience... And do watch out for bottle variation for this 89 Yquem, seems a bit notorious based on my case. Let 's see what the remainder of the case will be like...
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After the Haut-Brion '95 and the Latour '66 the show continued. This bottle (also tasted blind) my friend Loek presented showed very young. It was not difficult to detect the level and Yquem, but the vintage was too difficult. Due to its youthful presentation I suggested a '97. A German will presumably say 'lebendig' and Frenchman can admire its 'fraicheur' and I will add its youthful impression with some fat, a medium sweet impression above the citrus backbone. With air (the wine was decanted about 6 hours before) in the glass the wine became more complex, smoother and showed a hint of caramel. The aftertaste didn't nearly disappear; a great wine with a great future.
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CT Seattle tasting group rated this 93, with a range of 90-95, in a blind tasting. Alexandre lur Saluce called this one of the best wines he ever made when we met, but I am not sure it lived up to that billing for me. He makes superb wines! Purchased this on the secondary market. Nice secondary nutty flavors to go with the sweetness, but lacked the tension needed for a higher score from me. An outstanding wine for sure, and I certainly am glad that I obtained a bottle.
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tasted blind. Amazing richness, but superb balance with just enough acidity. Really what a great sauterne should be and is. Slightly orange/deep golden color, almond/hazelnut, could smell this all day. Honey/apricot and dried tropical fruit.. exceptional length. Delish.
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5th of 24, pnp, perfect cork and level, palish gold, flabbier and shorter than my '15 bottle note, though still lovely in a slightly heavy over the top sort of way, not sure that I didn't find more interesting and prefer the fag ends of a bottle of Tour Blanche '90 opened 3 weeks earlier, as better balanced and with more zip. Still VF (18.5).
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Wine Dinner at Carbone (Carbone): #2 of a 12 pack. Lighter than the bottle earlier this year. This bottle displayed a beautiful nose of dessert fruits. The palate of apricot along with hints of burnt orange and citrus wrapped with hints of caramel and creme brûlée. Lovely texture and persistent finish.
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Birthday Celebrations (Woodberry Kitchen): Took a while to open up, but when it did, most excellent. All the tropical fruit you’d ever want. Not old enough to get the coconut yet though. Good acidity, but slightly less than the best bottles of 1989 Yquem. Put on weight in the glass. Was never too sweet (as great Yquem never is). Wonderful finish to a great evening.
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From half bottle. Bought a case of halves and and this was the second bottle (first was defective - sherry aromas). So second bottle decided to take to restaurant to have a sommelier present to opine. Well the second bottle was better, did not seem defective. Good vibrant golden color. The nose was muted though. On the palate good acidity, some tropical fruits. But not much in the way of toffee or creme brulee aromas I would also have hoped for. Good sweet wine, but not truly great Yquem for me. Maybe the bottle was also not perfect? The sommelier thought it was a fine Yquem. My friend did not like it much though - in his view not a good bottle of Yquem. Based on this bottle it was nowhere as good as the 86 Yquem I had recently from a normal bottle which showed beautifully.
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The Yquem dinner (Chicago, IL): From half-bottle. This was a very smoky rendition of Yquem, and it had a little bit of funkiness to it that the other wines didn't have. The botrytis here has got to be totally off the charts at this point. This was, to me, the thickest, heaviest, densest, and richest of all the Yquem we had tonight. But it's just so incredibly good despite all of that.
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This just keeps getting better and better, like all great wines! Thick and rich, with enough extract of ripe and over ripe tropical fruit slathered in honey that you want to eat it. But the racy acidity keeps it all in check. Drink this now, wait a year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years of gift it to your kids. Great stuff!
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At the moment this is my favorite vintage of this wine and it was probably my favorite wine of our dinner (which also included '96 Salon, '80 Unico, '93 Colgin Herb Lamb). It's just the right level of aging where it's really rocking. A bit more aged than the bottles that we had about 2 years ago, but also from a split rather than a 750 so that might explain it. Some honey characteristics, apricot, great acidity. Paired nicely with an almond/meringue take on strawberry shortcake.
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I didn't get it. Very tropical (coconut, guava, pineapple) and not really showing any Yquem character apart from the fine balance. I'd take the '90 (let alone the '88 or '83) over this any day
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Royalty rich, an oleaginous textured wine that will drink with finesse and glory now and seemingly forever. The king of the eighties for Château d'Yquem, no stealing the scepter from this ruling royal as the glycerin, alcohol, honey, primrose and mimosa flower aromas, apricots and dates, allspice, and ripe and rich peach combine for a journey into the sauternes' treasure vault. Wish I had more than a bottle left- looks like time for a quality provenance quest and a happy purchase.
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First 375ml of a 12 pack. Brought for dessert but decided to have with a chicken liver mousse appetizer. PnP darker than I had expected, lighter styled Yquem, medium sweetness, good acidity played well with the mousse. some burnt orange and citrus flavors mixed with peach and apricot and hints of caramel and creme brûlée. Lovely texture and persistent finish.
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Dark amber that matched the complex burnt caramel flavors. In balance with most sweetness dissolved. WOTN in my opinion after having a Haut Brion Blanc and a Ponsot Clos de la Roche!
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Tasted blind at the end of a long night, this wine had a burnt orange center and clear rims. I thought the wine looked a lot older than 1989.
This wine had an attractive refined mouthfeel. It had the weight of Climens but a hint of that orange peel I associate with Rieussec.
Overall, this is a nice Sauterne that is drinking well now. However, it did not seem to be special in relation to a great Y'Quem or even other top vintage Sauternes. I will need to try this again earlier in the night to see if I still reach the same conclusion.
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Very late, late, late night taste from a bottle that had been Coravin'ed for a while. Sweetness and botrytis in spades with great intensity of cling peaches in heavy syrup. Or so I wrote. Super delish.
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(repas d'anniversaire de groupe avec dégustation de plusieurs bouteilles) Suivant le fameux Trotanoy 1982 Un bon Yquem, mais pas grandiose pour autant. Foncé dans la bouteille, est devenu très ambré dans la carafe (car bouchon friable et désagrégé au moment de l'aération). Arômes de gauffres, noisettes grillées. Consensus sur la "Crème brulée". Caramel un peu trop présent. Absence d'agrumes ou de marmelade laisse croire à un vin qui devait être bu sans tarder.
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Cellared since release. Perfect cork and fill. Rich golden color. Explosive nose, apricot, honey, flowers on the nose, rich thick palate feel with apricot, honey, citrus, pineapple, intense sweet ripe fruit with great balancing acidity. Should last many years. Outstanding.
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Nose of marmalade, candied grapefruit, and apricot. Notes suggesting higher alcohol but with nice woody and varnish aromas. Loads of candied apricot on the palate. Still makes for delicious drinking and always a pleasure to taste. Outshone by the 2001 served alongside.
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Deep amber color grabbed everyone's attention in a blind flight of Bordeauxs. Powerful aged aromatics were right in line with the flavors; toffee, caramel, and apricot. Medium sweet, fresh acid, mouth-coating full body. Long finish doesn't begin to describe how this will linger in your mouth. Take a bite of food, a drink of water, and 3 minutes later it's still d'Quem.
I feel like giving a perfect score is like giving up, but this was fantastic. Hands down the best Sauterne I've ever had. Drank from 750ml, the '89 has another decade ahead of it easy.
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4th of 24 - golden nectar, seemed tighter and more focussed than last bottle which is good news, though the 88 still has the edge, must re-try the 90 which on last showing was almost too unctuous and broad. Very fine plus (19/20).
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I love dessert wines and this is among the best of the best. Beautiful apricot, honeysuckle, and a slight orange peel explode onto the palate. Perfectly balanced and not syrupy. This wine was bright and lively and had a sense of purity that made it thoroughly enjoyable with a custard fruit tart. smooth with a long finish.............
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St. Valentine's Day - 1974 Montelena Dinner (New Jersey): From 375ml bottle, this is medium to dark amber color, showing its age but not more than you'd expect. Wonderful nose of apricots, pear and butterscotch. Unctuous mouth feel, rich yet lively with plenty acidity for a long life yet to come. Flavors reflected the nose and it was lovely with fruit tart and soft cheese (the exact type I forget as all the wine is getting in the way of my memory of the name). Thanks again to "Rudy" for bringing the always "on point" cheeses.
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Söta mogna aprikoser, tropisk frukt, honung, rostade nötter och underbara saffranstoner. Fin syra som väger upp sötman, fin textur och känsla i munnen, balanserat och fint och en lite fina toner av bittermandel i avslutet.
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This is an outstanding bottle drinking exceptionally well. I wanted to say that it's at its peak, but that would suggest that it won't improve (an think it will still improve a little). Toffee, citrus, honey, marzipan, roasted walnut, etc...on and on. A bit of a brute, this is a powerful expression with a syrupy texture and a very long finish. There is just enough acidity to keep the sweetness in check. 9-19-10-9
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This is fully mature, and offering tremendous drinking pleasure. Deep amber in colour, with complex aromas of toffee, dried apricots, almonds, marzipan and tropical fruits. On the palate, rich and deep, with the sweet caramel, toffee and almond aspects standing out. Acidity in balance, but just a tiny bit on the flabby side. Drink now.
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Christmas Day 2014 (Walnut Creek, Ca.): From a 375ml bottle, nose of honeysuckle, caramel, pear, white peach, and honeycomb, same on the palate, big body, rich fruit, lovely fruit, mouth filling fruit, very tasty, enjoyed over 3 hours, no dessert, only the Yquem, and a long, long, finish and lingering aftertaste.
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Only my second Yquem. A decent mature Sauternes and a good match for a selection of blue cheese, but truthfully nothing special. Nice creamy and apricot nose. Apricot and Creme brûlée flavour. Good wine but lacks real refinement or depth.
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Wines @ Mike's (Coventry, CT): An excellent Sauternes, but perhaps not an excellent d'Yquem. Moderate complexity with good persistence, but a bit too loose-knit for d'Yquem. A bit more tension and depth is needed. A wonderful dessert wine, but expectations are high for this estate.
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I've really loved the '89 Yquem in the past, but this was a step down from my previous experiences - still a really impressive wine, but lacking the intensity and depth to give it that wow factor I've experienced before. Lots of ripe apricot and tropical fruit here drizzled in honey, vanilla, and flowers, but it feels a touch heavy on the palate without the finesse and elegance this wine normally has.
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December birthdays (Coventry): Quite a lot of variability between bottles (or me, day to day). Quite rich, with tropical fruits and spice, and very good, but lacking the interest and depth of a truly-exceptional wine. Good length.
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The Great Schintzel Dinner at Eric's and Deb's: Figs, toffee and caramel. lovely light nose flows right into the palate- which is fresh with honeyed citrus underlined by a zip of acidity. very long finish. Finesse is the name of the game here. Lovely!
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A Ledbury lunch: Deeper colour than previously, old burnished gold had become a deep copper. Very attractive nose, barley sugar but also a freshness and sense of zip. Similar on palate. So much better than previous bottle. This has balance, depth and not inconsiderable interest. Moderate plus length with a slightly lingering quality. Works well on its own, with cheese and with pudding. Lovely ****
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The right, no make that perfect balance of freshness, sweetness and honey slathered fruit that coats your palate with the essence of ripe, very ripe and extremely ripe.
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Had the fantastic opportunity to taste the 1988, 1989, 1990 tonight, all three very good vintages of d'Yquem that are valued similarly in the marketplace. Macadamia nuts, ripe stone fruit, creme brulee with more nuance and subtlety vs the 1988. Thank you, Jamie!
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This bottle was drank at Bar Isabel with a group of Toronto wine drinkers and an out of town guest from Chicago. It was chilled and consumed firstly with foie gras and then with desert. It's always great to drink some Yquem and this bottle didn't disappoint. Mid level orange in colour with a nose filled with peaches and honey. These same smells were in the glass as well. The wine was very slightly thin but I think that it's starting to hit it's stride now. If you have these and can hold out for another 3-5 years, I think that you will be rewarded.
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From 375: Beginning to turn a light amber. Expressive nose, but a little cloying on the palate. Expected more complexity and acidity. Over rated? Guess I'm a Climens guy.
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I really liked this vintage and even prefer it to the '90 at this point as it's quite more ready although it has a nice austere character that I like. Fresh acids give way to very pure flavors of clove, apricot and mango. The finish has beautiful intensity with just the right touch of sweetness and spice. Long, complex and nutty and not over-powering for a young Yquem. 95+
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My oh my. Deeply aromatic, smelling of honey, apricot, baked spiced apple and almond. Rich and viscous, the flavors went on for minutes...and it will probably be better in 20 years. Awesome.
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Brilliant mouthfeel and fruit well balanced with acid even now. Not in danger yet, but maybe not getting better either? Drank for our 20th anniversary and really added to that special dinner.
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Light and airy yet densely packed with flavor at the same time. Baking spice, honey, caramel flavors are starting to lose their strength as this wine transitions to it's second stage of life at 25. Amazing effort and no doubt this is a 100 year wine.
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Dinner at the Fung's! (Fung's): I'm not usually a fan of sauternes but this one was really good. rich gold in colour. honey and vanilla on the nose. drinks beautifully with great balance. the acidity was just right to balance off the sweetness.
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Regal, mesmerizing, and my wine of the year by a country mile. Tremendous intensity and complexity on the nose, with a warm apricot core surrounded by a wild array of coconut, honey, vanilla, and rose petal aromas. Equally stunning on the rich but impeccably and effortlessly balanced palate. Plenty of viscosity, but it just glides lightly across the tongue. The taste just lingers on and on (and I'm not typically one to put much stock in the duration of a finish, but this wine really distinguished itself in that regard). In a different league than any dessert wine I've ever had.
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Richebourg and RSV dinner at Ripple (Ripple Restaurant in DC): Another half bottle from the same batch. Once again, slightly more mature perhaps due to the format. Dry apricot, light caramel, nutmeg and creme brulee. For me, D’Yquem is all about the texture. Incredible density yet so airy, intense yet light. Lovely showing. Definitely preferred the palate (97 pts) to the nose (93 pts).
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I loved this wine. Bested the 1990 from last year. All smoothly integrated with dried apricots, oranges, spices and the sweetness has become quite smooth without any ABV that stuck out. This had a finish lasted for a really long time. Great dessert wine.
Maybe 96+
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Having never tasted a Château d'Yquem, I expected that even if it was better than any other Sauternes, it couldn't possibly justify the price difference. But as soon as I smelt this, I could tell that it wasn't just a slight improvement on Premier Cru Sauternes; it's truly in a league of its own. Nose shows barrels of flavour: 20-year-old rum, Grand Marnier, raisins and toffee, with hints of blue cheese and tropical fruit. Heavy body balances moderate sugar and acid, but this is more about flavour than structure. Bold notes of golden syrup, pineapple and ham steaks, with emerging notes of dark honey, blue cheese and reduced pear. This was showing a cornucopia of bold, rich flavours, and if we'd left it in our glasses, there's every indication that it would have kept revealing more and more layers of flavour.
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Château d'Yquem tasting (Stockholm): Appearance: dark golden yellow, some amber Nose: botrytis, dried apricots, candied fruit, some solvent notes (not disturbing, but more than in the 1996 Yquem), spice, some saffron. More "muted" nose than the 1996. Palate: very sweet, viscous, dried apricots, zest, botrytis, high acidity, honey, spice, very concentrated. Quite good aftertaste of medium length. Summary: the palate is quite fantastic, the nose not quite at the same level. Fully developed, 97 p The cork of this bottle was slightly difficult since it was somewhat dried-out and brittle, which indicates that the bottle had been stored under too dry conditons. Possibly, the colour was a bit darker than it could be. The wine was in good condition despite the cork, but I don't rule out that the 1989 Yquem could be even a little better from a perfectly stored bottle.
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We drank this a while ago, and it was the first serious wine we ever drank -- so the rating is probably skewed by the newbie factor. With that said, I recall the bouquet being overwhelming and persistent, and the taste being of caramelized tropical fruits, vanilla, and so on. The finish was the most amazing part -- 10 minutes at least, it just kept going on. Really amazing wine we won't forget, and which is the touchstone for all the others we have.
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This was a great d'yquem we tasted over two days to celebrate a birthday. Darker gold color. Insanely complex nose, round and supple on the tongue, with creme brulee finish that was still going the next morning. Fantastic.
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Farewell to Josh - the burbs have him now. (L'Artusi Restaurant, West Village, Manhattan): Forceful nose of cinnamon and red spices, cane sugar and some heat. Quite burly and potent. Just great on the palate, rich but with good structure and cut. Big, spice, sugar-spicy, brulee. Get even better on the long classic finish - great focus. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/6 = 17.5/20.
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Château d'Yquem with AuZone (AuZone, Stockholm): Colour: deep golden yellow Nose: solvent, volatile acidity, caramel and dried fruit, some fudge, noticeable spice, some flower. On top of this unfortunately a discrete TCA/cork defect note, not too obvious but it is there. In total, this makes the wine less complex than the best. Palate: spice, caramel, dried fruit including apricot, high acidity, and an odd taste component which must come from the TCA/defect. Rather long aftertaste with some bitterness. Overall impression: unfortunately affected by the cork at the level of a "sneaky defect", but has a lot of the character of a great wine and was drinkable. On balance - 91 p?
Different opinions about this bottle from the other tasters - from obviously corked to some other, milder defect than cork taint, with me somewhere in the middle.
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Top 09 and 10 red Burgundy tasting (Capital Grill at Tysons corner, VA): This particular bottle seems slightly more mature than the previous 89s. Dry apricots, ginger and spices. Unctuous palate. I preferred the 90 tonight. The 86-90 D’Yquems seem to be awkward stage where one day they show extremely well and the next not so. Not so for this wine tonight still enjoyable.
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Dinner with Kent (Bella Trattoria, San Francisco): From a half. Tasted blind side by side with the 1988 Yquem, and I could pick this out as the 1989. (I had never tried the 1988 before but had tried the 1989.) The color on this is exactly the same as the 1988: golden-orange. Nose is superb (perhaps more forward than the '88) and showing more mature characteristics of dried apricot, dried fruit, nice spice, some copper notes, slight caramel; palate shows great mature balance between dried fruit, acidity, sweetness, and slight copper mature notes; finish is long and clean. This is a superb sauternes showing at peak now, more mature than the 1988 but also perhaps more aromatic and showing more of its potential. As usual, Yquem strikes a great balance between richness and lightness. 95-96 Day 2: This has held up very well (without necessarily improving) and is consistent with notes from yesterday. The nose on this is sublime.
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Oh my, what a nose. Tropical fruits, botrytis, caramel, apricot, coconut all just waft from the glass. Sweet, but not too sweet. Impeccable balance and a very very long finish. Perfection in a glass.
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i barely detect (and in the past haven't) hints of citrus. Stylistically it is low on acid and complexity but very concentrated, with caramel and vanilla bean predominating. I've always preferred the 88, but this is immensely enjoyable.
It's a wine to have in place of dessert, or if you happened to miss loading your pancakes with syrup in the morning and are still craving it!
Merry Christmas
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VVG. Not quite bristling with acidity but the fruit has a minor battle to get on top. Masses of apricot and aniseed but the acid carries the wine beautifully. Has 20 years ahead of it.
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No matter how many times I taste this elixir, it's always an exciting tasting experience. I've been lucky enough to have tasted this vintage twice, in the last 3 three and both times, the pineapple, floral, vanilla, apricot, spice and white peaches drenched in honey made a compelling bouquet. On the palate, over the years the wine has continued putting on weight and gaining new levels of complexity. There is a beautiful purity to the fruit that is not found in other wines. The acidity keeps it fresh and lively. At 24 years of age, it's still a baby. Drink it now, or save it for your lucky grandchildren.
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Served double blind. Classic yquem profile to me of sharp palate with burnt toffee and plenty of botrytis but not revealing much in the way of complexity yet. Cries of "we obviously aren't drinking yquem in this flight" were met with much laughter when it was revealed!
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Super Tasting 1 of 6 - Andrew does 1989 Bordeaux (Langdon Hall, Blair, Ontario): Wow…this just jumped out of the glass with notes of lemongrass, mint, nutmeg, pineapple, quince, guava, mushroom, earth and gorgeous minerality. The palate is thick…huge texture on this wine with the viscosity of oil but with its balncing acid, it just glide over the palate. So balanced. Notes of honey, marzipan, mushrooms, earth, turpentine, lemon, pineapple and guava. Immense length….3 minutes later I am still tasting this wine. Waves of flavour. Intense, Long, Complex. Reference point sauternes. WOW.
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Super Tasting 1 of 6 - Andrew (Langdon Hall, Cambridge, ON): Wow! On first pour huge botrytis and turpentine is evident but both are quite pleasant. This wine earns it's points from it's elegance and huge complexity, not from power. Fruit profile is wild: pineapple, mango, vanilla. What is also remarkable with this wine is the palate; so viscus, but seems to evaporate on the tongue with a great cut of acidity and sugar doesn't dominate whatsoever. Definitely a mushroom and earthy note but I attribute that to the botrytis rather than maturity; this wine is still a baby. Finish is wildly long; still making an appearance minutes after consumption. Best sauternes that has ever graced my lips.
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Tasting Group Dinner Series (1 of 6) / Andrew's 28th Birthday (Red Room, Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ontario): Popped and poured, followed in the glass over the next few hours. Medium, nearing deep golden colour in the glass. Gorgeous nose of honey, beeswax, spice, white florals, dried apricot, burnt sugar, lemongrass, and some light terpentine, mushroom and earth, showing a bit of age, despite overall, being quite youthful. On the palate, this really shines, very elegant and understated, while maintaining an immense richness, showing exceptional balance, and a massive finish characterized by notes of honey, botrytis, cloves, dried fruits and creme brule, that just glides across the palate with ease. A beautiful wine, and a wonderful way to set the stage for the reds.
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Dinner at Doyle & Lesley's (Vancouver, BC): Medium gold colour. Exotic and youthful nose of tropical fruit, honey, crème brulee and candied lemon. On the palate it’s rich and concentrated with apricot, honey and sweet pineapple flavours wrapped in a balanced framework of intensity, acidity and length. Full bodied and complex. Seems to me this is in its early drinking window and should continue to drink well and develop for decades. Outstanding. 93+
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From 375. Very nice sauterne, but somehow I expected more from Yquem. Beginning to darken from it's golden yellow youthful hue. Very concentrated and sweet. One could wish for a little more acidity and complexity.
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An Offline for Luke (28-50, London): Fairly deep burnished old gold. Deep, quite dense barley sugar nose. Obviously sweet and ripe. Lots upfront but it lacks development and persistence through the mid-palate and finish. A bit too ripe really - needs some acidity to hold its line - doesn't liv up to its initial promise. ***1/2
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Mouton 86 vs Lafite 89 and some other friends (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): From Half Bottle. Colour points to a much older wine and we would have guessed early 80s. On the nose is ever so balanced with apricots, light exotics. Ever the long complex nose. On the palate the balance and finesse make an entrance early on. Maybe has lost some of its vitality but the wine was in general singing all the way. Beautiful. 94-95
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The infamous Gerry, who was sitting next to me, was not so enamoured. As we were playing options it was revealed as Yquem and we were trying to guess the year, he blurted out ‘whatever it is I’ve got it for sale’! I thought it was very smart with a complex nose of vanilla, toast, candied peel and cumquat. It was full and exotic with a nice savoury finish and good length.
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From 375ml... Elegant to the point of not seeming like a dessert wine. Nose is mature and slightly sherried which sets the backdrop for the wine's complexity. Tropical fruit, flowers, toasted marshmallow, and cinnamon. Long finish drives home the nimble elegance of the wine and begs another sip.
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Yesterday we had Yquem 1988 from 0,75l bottle, now 1989 from half bottle: just perfect. This is pure emotion. No wine-lover can deny the greatness of this wine. Just great, perfection indeed. No hesitation to award the perfect score.
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Bu hier avec de bons amis, ce vin est tout simplement renversant. Il l'est à partir du moment où on le met dans la coupe et l'air ambiant s'impreigne de son odeur. Le nez est principalement sur les oranges et les pêches, mais la palette d'odeurs est infinie lorsque vous mettez votre nez dans la coupe!
En bouche, à la seconde où le vin a touché mon palais, la première réaction que j'ai eue c'était de me dire: GRAS! Quel viscosité incroyable! Le vin a été très évolutif, mais ce qui a dominé c'est cet aspect agrumes, qui commence à tirer sur la caramélisation mais pas trop. Une finale, comme à l'habitude pour un Yquem, interminable. Un vin qui possède encore plusieurs dizaines d'années devant lui!
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Ce Yquem est magique! La robe est d'un superbe doré, le nez est puissant sur des notes d'orange, de caramel. En bouche, le vin est très gras et la texture est d'un velouté incroyable et la finale me laisse sans mots. Ces quelques mots résument parfaitement mon expérience avec ce vin. Immense vin!
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Christmas Day 2011 (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Dessert by itself, 375ml bottle, nose of pear, lemon, watermelon, honeycomb, honeysuckle, peach, and caramel, more of the same on the palate, big body, very tasty, elegant, at peak, rich, lovely, sweet fruit, mouth filling fruit, and a long, long, lovely finish and aftertaste.
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Acker BYO 2011 (Tribeca Grill): Showing some heat on the nose, wood, honey and caramel, oak. Sugary and caramel on the palate - still young - will be impressive. Lots of alcohol, spicy and honey. Needs lots of time. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 16/20.
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Good but looked a little advanced. It showed some toffee apple and crème brulee aromas and flavours, was rich and round and had a very long length of flavour.
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Nose: Big, rich raisinny botrytis; almost fat. Crème caramel, burnt toffee, burnt orange, apricots, fruit mince pie, Christmas cake plus freshly cut champignons and musk lifesavers. Needless to say, very complex. Classic Yquem. Let me at it!
Palate: Classic warm vintage Yquem; rich, thick, opulent - you name it - with distinct crème caramel and burnt toffee over an apricotty base full of botrytis. An extracted finish of bitter marmalade and burnt orange adds character to a luscious and long palate, which goes on and on. An emphatic, great wine.
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From 750 ml. Opened 5 hours before serving. Beautiful, golden hue. Viscous. On the nose, toffee, candied fruits and rich in botrytis. On the palate the toffee, pineapple and candied fruits shine in this wine. Perfectly balanced with a rich vein of acidity and an almost endless finish. Entrancing and superb and clear WOTN for me. Still young but drinking perfectly and really benefitted from a few hours of air before serving. This is Yquem near the top of its game.
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My first Chateau d'Yquem. My only prior Sauternes experience was Chateau Clemons and I did not expect to be impressed, but I was. Rod Learned brought this bottle to a dinner party.
Dark yellow-brown. Musty syrupy smell. Notes of tropical fruits including Apricot, papaya, pineapple, honey, some light orange that strangely was present yet did not dominate at all, elderflower, peaches. Much less viscous than I thought it would be. Honey dew melon. This set my taste buds on fire. The finish lasts forever and brings about all the flavors in seemingly random order. Great stuff.
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From a 375, straight from the hand of Zod. Color is golden-orange; nose wafts out of the glass but isn't in-your-face intense, honey, dried fruit/apricots, hint of baker's spices and confectioner's sugar, very complex but well integrated and the various components mesh together well; palate has huge flavor, starts with juicy white stone fruit (peach, etc) and good sweetness, transitions to hint of a metallic component, then acidity hits and cleans up the palate; finish has great acidity, medium-long length. Overall this is a superb sauternes in good condition at full maturity but still with much life ahead. It falls a tad short of the young but vibrant 2003, but still is exceptional in its own right. 95 points. Update: Day 2- still lovely, fantastic texture and smoothness.
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oranje gele kleur, bijna goud. neus is met krenten, rozijnen, honing, abrikoos, sinaasappel, duidelijk is de botrytus, heerlijk complex, heel vragende neus. volle smaak, heel breed en intens, heeft de perfecte balans, blijft zo mooi drinkbaar door de frisse zuren, lang en geconcentreerd, komt nog jong over, heeft nog een leven voor zich
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Fantastic. Powerful, layered with honey-drenched apricots, pineapple and other tropical fruits, vanilla cream and slightly developed burnished flavours in a rich, slightly viscous package. There's lots of richness and stuffing here, but also really good acidity that keeps it beautifully balanced and tremendous length. A real treat, thanks Mike.
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Deep gold. Powerful, concentrated, and loaded with sweetness. Yet, amazingly balanced acidity and depth of fruit with a very very long finish. Insert seven million descriptors of liquid gold here. Excellent accompaniment to the seared foie gras, blue cheese gnocchi, and creme brulee (thanks Jeremy!). Given the wine's celebrity provenance, all involved kneeled to Zod.
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One of my favorite Yquem's ever. Maybe it's the bottle, but I doubt it. Beautifully balanced, intensely thick and unctious, gorgeous flavors of everything imaginable going on at various time over 2 hours. But, what at tasting. First course was 76 Yquem in magnum with foie gras dish. Then the 89 and 71 were served with 3 cheeses, perfectly chosen to match with the flavors of the Sauternes. Final course was dessert, sweet stuff, with 90 Climans and Rieussec. Sandwiched in between was a lamb course with two 1st growth bordeaux. Nice little dinner for 12 in Naples. Gotta tell you, the 71 was very dark in color, but 76 and 89 were still like babies.
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Pizza Night with wines from 1989 (Our House): Dark amber color, good viscosity, lasting on the palate, apricot, smooth, better after a while in the glass, really began to come together. Age worthy.
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Haut Brion, LMHB at the Ledbury (Ledbury): Deep copper gold. This is a touch oxidative - perhaps not a clean bottle. Spice, creme caramel on the nose, this is a touch overevolved, and seems fat and lacking definition compared to the Climens.
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Haut Brion v La Mission (The Ledbury, London): Thick, a bit heavy and oxidative at first, but my last mouthful was gorgeously exotic and complex and I wish I'd paid it more attention
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Burgundy Dinner with Friends (Bryn Mawr Country Club, IL): 750ml. Slight golden color. Apricot and baked peach and pineapple aromatics with vanilla and a bit of honeysuckle. Ripe, rich palate with the same fruit profile. Brown sugar and custard notes. Great length and good acidity throughout. Still very young and will go for many more years.
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The Kitchen Cabinet does Per Se (Per Se, East Dining Room): The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound. A deep golden color, with an incredibly exotic bouquet of candied white fruits, honey, orange marmalade, flowers and vanilla. A bit lighter on the palate than what I was expecting -- it had the visocisity of motor oil -- but with layers and layers of flavor and a jaw-dropping finish.
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A quick peek at this exceedingly young 21 year old. How can a wine with this size be so light and nimble... floating to the heavens. Amazing. Give it 20 to 50 more years.
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Drank with Heather and Tom; seemed to be more one dimensional than last time I had this. Perhaps it fared poorly by being preceded by the '01 Suduiraut, though I would have expected it to show better, as it has in the past.
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New year's eve & day; 12/31/2009-1/1/2010: From 375: the darker in color ( vs 1990) this had a captivating nose which just burst with botrytis spice, caramel, ripe pineapple and some bananas. This is the richer wine of the two and drinks very well right now. orange peel secondary flavors came into play. The finish here is not as persistent and while this is a hedonistic pleasure bomb it does not posses the finesse of it's younger sibling. Still tonight this gives more.
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1989 Yquem - Christmas Eve dinner with family. Extraordinary. Rich botrytis notes, honey and apricots with a hint of sweet lavendar. Worth the 15+ year wait! Rich, complex, deep fruit with solid balancing acidity. In no manner cloying nor "green" from excessive acid... Drink now thru 2020. By the fire with equally nice cheeses, made for a perfect ending to a memorable dinner.
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Brought to Acker auction at Cru - this required about 6 hours to open up, but when it finally did, it was very enjoyable. Beautiful and floral nose. Apricot, caramel, chocolate on the palate. I would give the '90 a slight edge over the '89.
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Yquem "great years" tasting (Seinpost (Scheveningen, The Netherlands)): A beautiful wine, but just (and only just) behind the greatest vintages in an impressive line-up of d'Yquem: 55, 67, 71, 75, 76, 86, 88, 89, 90, 97, 99, 01. My favorites are 01 - 67 - 88. 1989 (and 1990) are very close on their heels.
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1989 Château d'Yquem (Frankrijk, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes) Kleur: Oranjebruin Aroma / bouquet: In het begin subtiel, maar al heel snel verleidelijk en zwoel. Uitgesproken Botrytistonen in combinatie met honing, rozijnen, kaneel, mandarijntjes en overrijpe ananas. Smaak / Afdronk: Vol en rijk, naast het weelderig zoet een prachtige balans, aangebracht door frisse zuren en een sinaasappelbittertje. Wat een concentratie en wat een lengte… Wat mij betreft iets subtieler en verfijnder dan de 88'er. Algemeen / potentieel: Wat mij betreft één van de toppers tijdens de proeverij van de jaren 67, 71, 75, 76, 86, 88, 89, 90, 97, 99, 01 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 100/100
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Deeply colored - a somewhat surprising shade of deep yellow or light orange - this offered a simply stunning vein of freshness that ran through its seemingly endless medley of sugared melon, toffee, burnt sugar, dried fig and spice aromas. Mouthfilling, syrupy and rich on the palate, offering impeccable balance between sugar and acidity, with long-lasting creme caramel and botrytis spice flavors.
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Older Bordeaux at Troquet (Boston, MA): Mindblowing stuff, with so many layers of flavours ranging from ripe tropical fruits and honey to vanilla cream and floral elements that it's impossible to describe adequately. There's tremendous power and depth here - yet it feels incredibly light and elegant on its feet with perfect balance despite the sheer richness and viscosity of the wine and an incredibly long finish.
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Phil's B-Day; 7/23/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicago): vanilla, citrus and creme brulee like character. Not overly sweet, but absolutely perfect balance and sweetness. Juts an amazing wine, had a super long lasting aftertaste that was so seductive and yet restrained.
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Phil's MONUMENTAL 33rd Birthday Wine Tasting (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Medium deep golden color. Nose of spicy cider, petrol, burnt caramel and heavily roasted nuts. Yellow apples, pear doused with honey and charred vanilla. Pure long finish with moderate high well focused acidity and awesome minerality and length. Fantastic d'Yquem with awesome power and finesse.
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A Weekend of Excess; 7/24/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicago/Northbrook, IL): Golden color. Slightly baked tropical fruit nose with ripe stone fruit as well - ripe yellow peach and apricot. Vanilla bean creme brulee and honeysuckle. Super rich on the palate with baked pineapple and ripe apricot and honeyed lemon custard. Fantastic length with beautiful acidity. Absolutely outstanding.
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I tasted an 1989 yquem at Boudinc Blanc in London. I was expecting the absolute best for such as good year. It was great but not outstanding. We tried this 89 as a dessert wine, right after a rich meal. At first I found the amber liquid looked like it lacked orginality(what was i expecting?). The smell was superb, sharp. The attack was strong and the texture unbelievably velvetty. I found the aromas a bit too "classic" maybe. Apricots, almonds, honey...Like a good Sauternes in fact. But nothing truly exceptional. The finish was very long, but it felt like a heavy wine. I would certainly not recommend it as a dessert wine and would not forget next time to have it opened a good few hours before tasting it (as opposed to 45 minutes in that case)
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Half bottle opened on its 20th anniversary. Nice golden color,legs for days, Beautiful ethereal nose mixed with dried fruit and hints of smoke. Hints of almond and sherry on the taste buds. Sip this baby... Perfectly balanced with a good finish. Will last for years....
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Oh well, finally I can make it. Between top 3 vintages 1988, 1989 and 1990. I love 1988 because 1990 is too heavy, too hot vintage for me. 98/100
But 1989, it starts with the elegant Yquem nose, dramatic sweet honey, hints of some flowers, clean and fresh. The texture is so silky beautiful at the first sip, very lovely delicious. Nice finished.
Then we go for Lafite 83, Margaux 83 and Latour 61 for 3 hours. When we come back to Yquem 89, the scent is the same but the texture....Oh Wowww....
Super dense and concentrate...most beautiful concentrate indeed...reminds me of the texture of Screaming Eagle 2003...perfect balance, silky dense texture...full score in this part...all of us can not control our feeling when moving the wine go around in the mouth...umm....umm.....umm.....I never feel like this before with Yquem.
The aftertaste is just very good but not so long in finished. If 1989 has the 1988's finished, it must be one of the most greatest d'Yquem ever made.
Drink now - 2045........................97++/100............................
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From a half bottle. The color is getting a great shade of gold. Beautliful aromtics of golden raisins and dried apricot. Very lush fruit with enough acidity to keep it all together.
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Half bottle. Deep straw, lots of legs. Intense fruit and alcohol with just a hint of barley sugar. Long fruit not quite together. Conclude needs longer.
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Tasted February 15,2008 at Lake Louise Post Hotel Yquem tasting. This wine which has 13.2% alcohol was produced during a very dry summer. 25% of the total crop was lost due to hail. It is a wonderful wine with a sweet bouquet and a great taste. The colour is starting to change to a deeper gold. It has 127 grams of sugar with a 4.0 acidity. One of my favourites of the night.
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Drunk on the birthday of my wife from a demi-bottle, this wine is almost beyond description. Extremely rich yellow fruit in the nose (notably apricot), dense, rich and voluptuous. Tasting this wine is pure delight, and in complete harmony with the smell of the wine. Although very strong, this wine has perfect balance: the sweetness and strength are never too much. The finish lasts minutes. This is without any doubt amongst the best wines I ever had.
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A real sniffer!! Great nose the entry has fresh, almost tickling fruit. Very nice, long and smoky finish. In between a great battle between the sugars and the acids….. great!
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SLDS Icons (Tetsuya's, Sydney, Australia): I had high expectations for this. The nose was reticent and it took close examination to find mandarin, brown sugar and honey. The palate was elegant and balanced but the depth and interest were not there to see. Still very good, but just seemed a little bit off-key this evening.
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Uncorked DK tasting: 1989/1990 Bordeaux (Kenneth): Dark yellow with a brownish glow. Nose is intense with some glue, dried flowers, orange and nuts. Tastes very well and is very pleasing, but the alcohol showed a bit too much in the aftertaste. Somehow I didn't really find this to be a classic Yquem - where were the coconut, the marzipan and the fat? (Other participants believed that they could find these qualities, maybe I was just getting tired...)
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2007 France Trip - Les Gouberts, Clos des Cazaux (Southern Rhone): From half bottle. Beautiful deep amber. Honey, rich caramel, nuts, orange liquor/marmalade. Delicious, floral, and gorgeously concentrated. The foie gras took this already amazing wine to an entirely new level. Wow!
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Color is deep gold with a touch of amber. On the nose, honey, apricot, white flowers, and spices mingle in a beautiful symphony. The palate comes across as dense and flavor-packed, but manages to dance anyway. Thick flavors of spiced apricot, honey, botrytits, and smoke mingle with a nice line of acidity that keep the wine distinctly alive. A beautiful Sauternes...thanks to Jim Stone for opening this beauty.
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Tasted along side the 86 and 83. This was clearly the biggest fatest baddest ass bottle of d'Y I have ever experienced. It had a huge sappy nose of tropical fruit, the wine was massively unctous on the palatte and the finsh was long. This wine is no ballet dancer, it is a street thug wanting a brawl. There was excelent candied carmel fruit that danced across your taste buds, a very open bottle (mag actually) that will be great with food, and will outlast me for sure. But the sheer size and clumsyness takes away from the much more precise 83 that I would much prefer drinking over the next 75 years. My money is on this one to have the longest tasting window. Ever so slightly cloying.
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Chicago's Best Bordeaux Tasting Ever? (Ken's Home): Creme Brulee nose with peach and butterscotch. Soft and rich in the mouth, but light at the same time. Pinapples, peach, carmel, and cream. Nuanced wine. Very enjoyable, but not quite proufound.
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Leve does 1989 Bordeaux at Mélisse (Los Angeles, CA): This had fairly deep color, but what is not to like about such an ethereal wine that was matched perfectly with a fantastic seared foie gras dish? There is a hint of seawater on the nose, ripe botrytis, just exploding from the glass. The weight on the palate is absolutely fantastic, unctuous, huge viscosity in the mouth. Wonderfully balanced. I put my pen down for this one and just enjoyed.
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Roy Hersh Offline (St. John, London): Glorious marmalade / light amber, great depth, a backing of spicy oak but layered in front is toffee, caramelised orange, roast pineapple and buttermilk. Fascinating wine, still a bracing acid backbone, a lifetime to live still. I like this more than the 1988 tried on two occasions.
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My dessert came from a 375ml bottle, nose of jasmine, honey, butterscotch, marmalade, pear juice, and melon, more of the same on the palate, big body, very tasty, rich, lovely, mouth filling, terrific tasting, and a long, long, lovely finish and terrific aftertaste.
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Drank following '99 Marcassin Blue Slide at Philips Chophouse. Paired with Bananas foster and orange creme bulee. Wonderful nose with hints of apricot, carmel, and honey. More of the same on the palate with very good acidity. Not as much of a brute as the '90 Yquem. More soft, but not neccessarily more elegant. Surprisingly, paired VERY well with Romeo y Julieta cigar. Used the last 1/3 of 750ml bottle for this with the wife. Wonderful wine that is just beginning to lose its baby fat and become a more "aged" sauternes. If you like them young and fun.. drink now.. otherwise a few more years is in order.
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1982-83-89 Bordeaux at Masa's in San Francisco: Dark caramel colored, this wine is off the charts right out of the glass, with peach and apricot dominating the nose. In the mouth, incredibly fat, rich and sweet, with great balance of its flavors. The only possible criticism might be its lack of delicacy and finesse compared to the '88, with the botrytis character swamped by the sweet gobs of fruit. But this wasn't what this wine was made for.
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From 375’s. Dark gold. Sweet nose of honeysuckle, apricots and slight botrytis. Rich and sweet, with more acidity than I expected based on the color and the nose. Smooth loooonngg finish. Very approachable but should continue to develop for another 10 years.
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There was some disagreement in the group about this bottle because some people argued that it might be tainted since it was not showing the kind of power regularly exhibited by this wine. To me it was really charming, literally melting (vaporizing?) in my mouth. It was getting better and better with time. I was maybe not as impressed as I expected to be but this was pretty good for a first encounter.
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Tasted blind. Deep yellow-amber colour. Quite pure and restrained on the nose, definitely not a one-dimensional botrytis monster. Perfectly balanced wine, great acidity and lift, and a long waxy finish of apricots and candied fruits. Wonderful.
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Opened a 375ml bottle to enjoy tonight, nose of caramel, honey, marmalade, with a fragrant rose bouquet that stayed throughout the night, more of the same on the palate, big body, very tasty, mouth filling, rich but not to rich, elegant, sip and savor wine, paired with mincemeat pie, delicious, and a long, long, finish and aftertaste.
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Yquem has a unique style that’s not duplicated. Ripe, honeyed pineapple, peach, nectarine, apricot and orange flowers fill the perfume. Rich, concentrated but with enough acidity toe keep it fresh. The long, honey drenched finish is a pleasure and treat.
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All that is good in wine. Honey and apricots and a beautiful texture. I hear music when I drink something like this. [Opened at Pinot Brasserie, Las Vegas, 8/28/04. Served with seared foie gras.] **note added that this was my Wine of the Year in 2004**
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Medium yellow colour. Huge bouquet with ink and paint notes, mixed with scents of prunes and figs. Big and oily with stupendous power, delicious flavours of abricot, retaining good freshness and without any cloying, this wine had a one minute finish with great balance and harmony. LOVED IT.
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Dark yellow. Classic scents of abricot. Oily, fat and flowy. Good, fresh acidity keeps things in check. There’s excellent complexity, glorious harmony, and a crisp almost steely elegance. Wonderfully mouth-coatingly sweet and long on the aftertaste.
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Dark yellow in the glass. Notes of apple peel and also cerazine gas. Soft and round and seemingly quite "warm". Definitely not as structured as the first three examples, but certainly not a slouch either. A superb glass of Sauternes, and although the score is high, this was clearly out-distanced by the other 3 Yquems.
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Golden yellow. Lots of plums on the nose. Wow, this is really packed with finesse and a beautiful harmony. It's not grossly sweet, but elegant. Delicious.
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Dinner @ Jeff S: Tasted from half bottle. Medium to dark yellow color. Big, explosive nose of honey and apricots. Wonderfully, elegant and powerful on the palate. Not overly sweet, perhaps this impression results from the very nice complementing acidity. Lingering finish. Very forward and flamboyant.
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Dessert Wine Extravaganza: Fatter and more floral than the '88, but with similar viscosity and honeyed complexity. I prefer the better balanced '88, but it is a very good wine indeed.
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4/28/2024 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
Medium to dark amber. Nose of perfumed apricot, honeycomb, stone, bruised apple. Complex, fresh layers of butterscotch, peach, apricot, and caramel cascading across the tongue. Sweet but not cloying, with exceptional delineation and detail. Long finish of white peach, vanilla, and steely apricot. A happy conclusion to a family birthday party.
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3/25/2024 - kenv Likes this wine: 97 Points
[Dinner at Salil's. Pop and pour.] Another great half bottle with Salil's fabulous Canelés de Bordeaux. See his note for more details.
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3/25/2024 - salil wrote: 98 Points
Another showstopper. I've had some variation with this wine, but this might have been the best showing I've ever had from it. A soft cork with a slightly odd smell had me worried for a second, but that worry dissipated once I poured the first glass. All the honey, orange marmalade, crème brulée, vanilla, and tropical fruited goodness of Sauternes in spades, and that luscious richness and power of Yquem. This isn't a light dessert wine and it's not trying to be one, it's showing off its power and intensity and botrytis, and it's absolutely spectacular. Just a perfect match with canelés de Bordeaux. I can't think of many wines that mirror the flavours of a dish as perfectly as Sauternes and canelés mirror each other.
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3/9/2024 - Topper wrote: 94 Points
Still fresh and balanced with honey and butterscotch and white truffle. Perhaps a touch blousy. A fine wine but unlikely to improve in bottle.
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2/13/2024 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Tinned peaches and vanilla along with some honey and caramel. Sweet, but not overly so. Nice texture and a finish that is clean and invites another sip.
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1/29/2024 - Theamateurwinesnob Likes this wine:
This had been opened for a few days and I don’t know how it was kept in the meantime. Friend brought it over and poured me a glass. Color was quite evolved. Toasted almond, marzipan, honey, candied ginger, orange marmalade, and caramel. Ample acidity and good balance. I look forward to having a more intimate experience with the 375ml bottle I have.
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1/9/2024 - kenv Likes this wine: 92 Points
Red Wine: No great wines, only great bottles (Salil's, Albany, NY): [Pop and pour.] Nose of thick honey and botrytis. Rich in the mouth. Delicious but doesn't have the brightness, depth, or complexity of the bottle on 11/21/2023. Still worth drinking, and very good with Salil's fabulous Canelés de Bordeaux.
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1/9/2024 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Not quite on the level of the bottle that Ken brought over a couple of months ago, although this is still delicious and not a wine I'd ever pass up. This one felt a bit lighter, not showing quite the same richness and luscious fruit as the last bottle, but still has those classic vanilla/honey/orange marmalade/botrytis spice notes, and a brighter saffron-like aromatic element. Still very tasty, especially with canelés.
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12/30/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 97 Points
7th and 8th of 24, pnp, perfect cork and level, mid yellow, unctuous but youthful, second bottle slightly more caramel to supplement fresh fruit flavours in the first, wonderfully long, complex and persistent, seems to be entering a long drinking window. VF+ (19).
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12/5/2023 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Good vintages of Yquem (Chicago, IL): Always a stellar bottle in the trilogy. Intense spice and botrytis, rich and opulent, and just a splendid bottle of Yquem drinking very well now, despite its just entering middle age. If you're ever wondering what botrytis tastes like, this is a great example -- all of those classic hallmarks are there. A slight bitterness helps counteract the sweetness, yielding a large-scaled, rich wine in full balance. Never for a moment does this feel imbalanced or ungainly.
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12/3/2023 - drwine2001 wrote:
Sauternes Chinese Banquet Dinner: Half bottle. Amber. Toffee and caramel. Very sweet and viscous with a definite touch of oxidation. Complex, long, and some apricot fruit but it lacked the great acidity of other bottles and seemed on the downside.
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12/3/2023 - ohne_musik wrote: 97 Points
All Sauternes, All Night (R & G Lounge, SF): A truly great wine. So much to unpack here. The complete package on the nose - white and yellow flowers, cold steel, botrytis spice, well integrated oak, some subtle white truffle. So complex on the palate, it sends shivers down the spine, with golden raisin, fine honeyed mead, creme brulee, saffron, more white truffle, and a gobsmacking finish that goes on for minutes. Others at the table thought this was perhaps a bit more advanced than it should be, but I found it to be a complete stunner.
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12/3/2023 - aagrawal wrote: 96 Points
All-sauternes dinner; 12/2/2023-12/3/2023 (R&G Lounge, San Francisco): From 375mL. Darker golden-caramel; high intensity aromatics, caramel, burnt sugar; palate has richness, absolutely crazy complexity, caramel; long finish. One of the better bottles of this that I’ve opened. Some mentioned that perhaps this was advanced, but I think that's the vintage more than this particular bottle. It's definitely far along the maturity curve, but showing tons of complexity and depth even if it doesn't has as much fruit as the '89 Suduiraut Cuvee Madame. 96
Day 2: Still rich, aromatic, complex, with plenty of toffee and caramel; unctuous but balanced with medium-plus acidity, vibrant throughout the palate. This held up quite well a day later for a wine at this age, but it's no better than when it was first opened.
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12/1/2023 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:
50th Birthday Bash: Revisited this wine again but this time with Dried Cheery Sauce & Cinnamon Ice Cream instead of the delicious Foie Gras Terrine. While great, I prefer it coming earlier in the evening with Foie Gras.
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12/1/2023 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:
50th Birthday Bash: This has everything I love about mature Yquem! The classic pairing with Foie Gras made it a wonderful tasting experience. We saved some of the 750ml of the Yquem for the end of the night with our dessert course. Delicious!
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11/30/2023 - ankitmehra Likes this wine: 98 Points
Any tasting that ends with Château d'Yquem is automatically a memorable tasting in my mind. It helps when that d'Yquem is the iconic 1989 vintage. A nose dominated by tropical fruits immediately made this aged Sauternes approachable as aromas of caramel, quince jam and light honey balanced out the fruit. The palate had a strong concentration of mango, grapefruit and quince that were incredibly well balanced alongside oak, cedar, honey and caramel. A long, silky finish, I found myself picking up notes of bergamot and herbs alongside some mild spice. What an experience. One of the crème de la crème's of modern d'Yquem.
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11/24/2023 - VINNICK Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfect ending to our Thanksgiving. Next time I would skip the apple pie and just have this for dessert.
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11/21/2023 - salil wrote: 97 Points
Wonderful showing, all honey and vanilla and orange marmalade and the other classic botrytis/Yquem flavours, conveyed with that unique Yquem sense of richness and power. Paired beautifully with the canelés.
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11/21/2023 - kenv Likes this wine: 97 Points
Dinner at Salil's: [Pop and pour.] Nose of creme brulee and honey. Wow! Rich and complex. Super long. Just great.
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10/24/2023 - Fftjr Likes this wine: 95 Points
SUPERB.
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10/1/2023 - paul195 wrote: 95 Points
6 or 12 PnP amber color, nose of tropical fruits, moderate acidity, less sweet than the last bottle, silky smooth texture, balanced persistent finish. As always a wonderful glass to finish a great meal
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9/29/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
A beautiful bottle of this which I find reaching full maturity a bit earlier than expected. Nevertheless, the amazing richness of apricot and tropical fruit flavors combined with zippy acidity provide a classic Yquem experience on the exotic side of the spectrum. This went down so fine and smooth at the end of a great meal. The "Taste Buds" at Fairview CC.
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9/16/2023 - maaike2 wrote: 93 Points
Very powerful, dried fruit, caramel, marmelade. A little tired despite very mild acidity. Prominent Botrytis. A very good wine, but lacking tension.
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9/3/2023 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
From half bottle. This was a bit of a disappointment compared to expectations, but still a good wine. On the positive side, the wine was very fresh with a good acid backbone. The quince and apricot fruit was quite pure and pronounced, and the typical strong saffron and spice layers were enchanting. On the negative side, it was less complex than other vintages and bottles I've had, and there was a slight off note that dissipated a bit with aeration but never completely disappeared. I could not quite make out whether it was the wet cardboard smell I sometimes find in old Sauternes (Rieussec!) or a tiny bit of cork taint.
Decanting: I would decant for two hours.
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8/9/2023 - LB88 wrote:
Unfortunately when I just had the 1990 a couple days ago this was not as balanced. But still evolved and delicious
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8/1/2023 - jlgnml wrote: 98 Points
Sons 34th with Palmer, Penfolds and Yquem (Our backyard): Almost perfect. Color was light, no bite on the finish, exceptionally youthful, full finish and just what you would want to end an evening. Drink, hold or buy
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7/7/2023 - Musigny1955 Likes this wine: 95 Points
{Same bottle as DH90 scores, which he brought to DE dinner party; excellent fill} A bit dark, commensurate with age. Fresh, apricots, stone fruit, almost decadent, forever length. Very 1989. May be underscoring.
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7/7/2023 - DH90 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Medium amber color. Initially redolent with tangerine peel, fenugreek, and honey. Has moderate acidity that compensated for the residual sugar. After further oxygen exposure, it became more complex with toffee, creme brûlée, and a rich long finish. Lovely wine although it certainly will continue to last.
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5/17/2023 - Fftjr Likes this wine: 96 Points
WOW. I’m so enamored with d’Yquem. Just beginning to turn dark straw. Absolutely fantastic. The older they get, the better they are!
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5/17/2023 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
Another youngish Sauternes that is drinking exceptionally well now. This has average balance and finish compared to other d’yuem. Should be decanted for 1 hour before consuming. Will last forever.
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4/24/2023 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 97 Points
Tawny orange.
Clean and well aged, fruits and spice,
Softened up, pure clean flavours, light orange and toffee, silky texture, superb long palate and finish. Absolutely delicious in a refined mature way. Has all the rich aged characters but stylistically perfect.
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3/17/2023 - dcwino wrote: 97 Points
Another great wine dinner with Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Expressive nose displaying rich opulent yellow fruit, apricot, dry mango, yellow peach, candied ginger, saffron, botrytis, crème brulee. Honey and mineral. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of rich yellow fruit, dense and intense but also showing very good balance and detail, bright acidity, strong mineral, and a long sweet yellow fruit driven finish with saffron at the end. This youthful example can easily improve for a few more decades becoming lighter and more tertiary.
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12/23/2022 - Voodoo_Champagne Likes this wine:
This bottle was a gift for my 50. Birthday. It left my winefridge for a week ago, was stranding to let depot Fall down, not much but some. Color was amazing golden elegance, drunk from Zalto Bordeaux, simple load with layers of mentol, dry fruits, freshness with sweet background, never too much sweetnees, totalt balanced, and foie gras plus the blue cheeses all went togheter in perfect harmony, what not to like, I was satisfied .
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12/18/2022 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
From 375mL. Copper color, which seems a bit on the darker side even for this vintage but still within the realm of reasonable; aromatic, treacle, burnt caramel, dried apricot, slight spice; palate is medium bodied, sweetness still present and dominant but integrated, medium-plus vibrant acidity throughout, certainly dried fruit, dried apricot and peach, fruit fades just a bit through the midpalate; finish is medium-plus but falls short of long. It seems mature (Stage 3) but not overly so… it will continue to evolve with a few more years and has decades to go before it hits stage 4. 93-94
Well, we finished this quite quickly. Easily drinkable, pairs superbly with a panna cotta and some mild blue cheese.
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12/4/2022 - steinersing wrote: 95 Points
This is on the verge of becoming more interesting and complex now.
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10/11/2022 - mchern02 wrote: flawed
This bottle seemed to be either corked or very very very advanced; unfortunate since I brought it
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9/15/2022 - marcstevens45 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Rich golden color.
Just delicious.
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6/11/2022 - shifter wrote: 96 Points
Pre-2002 Rousseau Dinner (WS NYC): Such a wonderful comparison to the TBA, this was also sweet, but more ethereal and elegant. This didn't have the same cloying sweetness, but more bright and balanced. Wonderful, but my vote was for the TBA.
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5/13/2022 - maaike2 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Golden yellow, extremely well balanced with lots of freshness, both by acids, fruit and spices! Round an mouth filling great length.
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4/5/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Freshness, purity, and more layers of roasted, apricots, pineapples, yellow plums, nuts, caramel, and spice slathered in honey and butterscotch are only part of what you will encounter here. It is the racy lift, and vibrance on the palate that makes it all work, finishing with its lively endnotes. As good as this is, it is only getting started. I imagine this will drink well for at least another 50-75 years if well stored. That is why d'Yquem is d'Yquem.
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3/2/2022 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 95 Points
Château d'Yquem dinner with Sandrine Garbay (Restaurant Zoldering, Amsterdam, NL): Exuberant year with lots of noble rot. Much more marked by the heat than the 1990, warmer and spicier, lower in energy and acidity, hint of heat on the finish.
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2/19/2022 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
February foie (Chicago, IL): From half-bottle. This has always been the most opulent and richest of the legendary Yquem trio. The botrytis is off the charts here, and there are far more burnt sugar/caramel/Maillard flavours in this wine. It's the sweetest and most intense, and while the acidity isn't as bright as the 1990, the intensity and extract is probably at max here. The palate texture is also the densest and most oily; despite that, this never feels out of balance at all.
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1/4/2022 - Nicolas Beirens Likes this wine: 100 Points
Best d'yquem so far. All flavors were perfect in place.
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12/2/2021 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 95 Points
Brilliant color. Not overly sweet. Good palate feel and depth with a long finish. Drink/buy/hold.
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11/27/2021 - ggroebli Likes this wine: 98 Points
Unglaublich langer Abgang, kommt und kommt immer nach über eine Minute lang. Dichter Saft süß sauer. Bouquet mit Aprikose und Honig.
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11/26/2021 - NI1234 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Perfect w/ Thanksgiving desert!
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10/21/2021 - alittle wrote: 95 Points
Deep golden/amber leaning colour in the glass. Tremendously complex nose of dried apricot, marmalade, clove, furniture polish, honeycomb, candied pineapple, crème brulee, decaying forest/fungal growth type undertones. On the palate, marmalade, brown spice and burnt sugar, with a lingering finish that prompts the voice inside one’s head – time for another sip. Always a treat to go back and re-taste legends from the past. A small step behind the bottle had many moons ago, as this example has shed some of its youthful vigor.
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10/8/2021 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 92 Points
A Tour de Force 'Best Bottle' Tasting (Republique, Los Angeles): A better bottle than my last tasting of this vintage, which was lacking in acid. Dark brown in color. The wine was unctuous, and sweet but not cloying, I recall plenty of honey, coconut and tropical fruit.
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10/3/2021 - KPieper Likes this wine: 98 Points
Paired with Vanilla Bean Panacotta with Mango Chutney and Toffee Crumble. Cellar temp. A nose of creme brulee jumped out of the glass. Some apricot, honeysuckle, and mango. On the palate, mouth coating and rich. Apricot, mango, slight burnt sugar. Loved it. A finish that lasted forever.
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9/19/2021 - acyso wrote:
Sunday round 2 (Chicago, IL): Very botrytis-inflected, with a nose that seems to be dominated by orange peel, spice, and a bit of burnt sugar as well. I admit this doesn't seem to be as thickly textured as I remember it a few years ago (and somehow I thought I had preferred the 1990 more, but that's why we write things down). In any case, this is definitely a very rich and heavy wine; the sort where a little goes a long way. On the palate the character is similar with the botrytis and burnt sugar, and there is a little bit of bitterness on the finish that adds to the overall sensation of this wine.
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9/7/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): This is one of my favorite years of this wine. Funny because when we first started drinking it everyone talked more about the 90 but I think the 89 is superior mostly because there's a lovely freshness to this wine. Still there. Delicately sweet. Not quite cloying but it does skirt on that edge. Rich and elegant at the same time. Paired with a boeuf course of all things and surprisingly it was right there. The salty and sweet. Very nice.
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8/8/2021 - VDLT Wine Likes this wine:
Very interesting and delicious Sauternes. This bottle showed the slightest trace of fatigue.
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8/1/2021 - TXRDW wrote: 97 Points
I had the pleasure of having my brother-in-law open a 1989 d’Yquem and it was amazing. The only other d’Yquem I had ever tried was the 2009, which was just slightly better. Very distinctive notes apricot, mango & honey with a lingering finish made for a very memorable tasting. The thing that stands out to me is how drinking d’Yquem brings such a laser focus on such well delineated notes. Virtually no ambiguity as the group compared tasting notes. Truly a great experience.
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7/4/2021 - Boone's Farm Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely Sauternes. Balanced with flavors of peaches, pears, apricot and honeysuckle. This wine is still very young.
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5/8/2021 - BrendanMcS wrote: 95 Points
Sweet, smooth, and satisfying
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5/8/2021 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 95 Points
Light honey color with a touch of tawny molasses. Impressively delicious, honey-nectar page. Wonderful.
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5/1/2021 - burlingtonm Likes this wine: 97 Points
A superb d'Yquem with huge depth of flavor, stone-fruit on the nose, opulent & very rich but with enough acidity to balance the sweetness.
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12/30/2020 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 98 Points
Kleur: Oranjebruin. Aroma / bouquet: Inmiddels is het bouquet van deze wijn meer fragiel, maar daardoor niet minder verleidelijk. Een bouquet dat bloemig begint, met tonen van honing, pruimencompote en sinaasappelschil. Smaak / Afdronk: Een weldadige combinatie van zacht zuur en een filmende zoetheid, retronasale indrukken van mandarijntjes, sinaasappelschil en geconfijte kumquat. Geweldig geconcentreerd met een lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: D'Yquem stelde me nog nooit teleur, dit is één van mijn mooiste ervaringen met deze wijn, grenzend aan perfectie. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 19 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 98/100
Color: Orange-brown Aroma / bouquet: Meanwhile, the bouquet of this wine is more fragile, but no less seductive. A bouquet that starts floral, with notes of honey, plum compote and orange zest. Taste / Aftertaste: A soothing combination of soft acidity and a filming sweetness, retronasal notes of tangerines, orange peel and candied kumquat. Great concentrated with a long finish. Overall / potential: D'Yquem has never disappointed me, this is one of my best experiences with this wine, bordering on perfection. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Taste / Finish: 19 + Overall / potential: 10 = 98/100
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12/28/2020 - ylim Likes this wine: 95 Points
First time drinking d’yquem. This is fantastic and can easily finish a full bottle.
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11/26/2020 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 96 Points
From a 375ml, same cellar since release. Tea-colored. Honeyed toffee tones on palate. Great tension; Great balance. So special!
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11/13/2020 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 97 Points
Half bottle, my first D’Yquem, one word explosive! Lol, ya that good, this was complex, sexy, meditation wine too ... best sweet wine I’ve had by a mile, thanks big O!
97
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11/3/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
It is impossible to get tired of tasting d'Yquem. And why should they? With that special razor's edge of acidity that cuts through all the sweet, overripe, pineapple, apricot, mango, nut, and other assorted tropical fruits all coated with honey, this is a gem on your palate. It is incredible to think this is still in its adolescent stage. I am sure your grandchildren will be enjoying this wine in their old age.
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10/24/2020 - Boone's Farm Likes this wine: 94 Points
Heavy botrytis year. Still not cloying. Big, rich wine. Honeysuckle and mountain meadow flowers. Very nice wine. I tend to like the lighter less botrytis dense wines better
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10/2/2020 - DoktaP Likes this wine: 98 Points
Unbelievable! Gorgeous with a
Long life ahead. Starting to brown in the bottle.
Honey, apricots, orange peel and a hint of tobacco/smoke. The finish was ethereal. We thought a 750 mL was too much for 6 people, but that turned out to be false. Enjoy.
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8/30/2020 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
Just a small taste - but what a taste. This has many layers, a good, mineral character, citrus, honey, butter, a vertical structure. Many years ahead here.
#Klampenborg
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8/9/2020 - LB88 wrote: 93 Points
Beautifully aged Yquem. In the drinking window right now.
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8/1/2020 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 95 Points
Our son’s 31st bday, Veuve, Margaux & d’Yquem (Our backyard): What a way to finish a 31st bday celebration. Ate with a tres Leiche cake and beautiful as always. Darker color than other btls, sweet, and long finish. Good pick Ted.
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7/23/2020 - Charlie Carnes Likes this wine: 100 Points
This was a singularly perfect wine and experience. We had son and his girlfriend out to dinner. We were drinking Champagne. This wine had been on my mind all night after seeing it on the list. I say what the heck toward the end, after the Sommelier let me see the bottle. I cannot begin to describe how perfect the wine was. The best I can do is list the bullets I wrote at the table on my phone...
1989 y
Infinante lightness
Medium color
Brown gold, lively.
31 yo soooooo light and lively. Easy, but complex as the universe...
Weightless. Barely affects you but overwhelming perfection, weight, balance!!!!!”
Fresh sawed greenwood with a hint of mint leaf and fat wood
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7/16/2020 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gold and Amber. Marmalade. So elegant as always. Medium sweetness. Medium to high acidity. Full bodied. Complex and balanced
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7/4/2020 - hprphf wrote: 92 Points
Half bottle. Big wine, fairly syrupy, good tropical fruit although not completely ripe, some coldness to balance. 92-93
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6/16/2020 - Ara Kafafian Likes this wine: 98 Points
From half bottle, deep yellow color, tropical fruits, honey, chalk, extraordinarily rich and unctuous, viscous, evident Sauternes bitterness ending or shall I say, never ending finish. Drink the day before you die.
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6/5/2020 - jlgnml wrote: 100 Points
Rock star! Left me speechless. Swirl, hold in the mouth, slow swallow and savor the experience. OMG.
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2/9/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Nothing objectionable, just a bit disappointing from half bottle. The details are a little smudged for Yquem.
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1/22/2020 - dhammer53 wrote: 95 Points
Drank this at a wine dinner in NYC with Erez and Jay. This was a dark color. Sweet. It was delicious. I can't find additional notes, but you won't be disappointed if you drink this now.
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1/13/2020 - Sepsis wrote: 98 Points
Wow. One of the best Yquem I ever had. From half bottle. Perfect now and the next xx years.
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12/31/2019 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 96 Points
New Year's Eve Dinner and Enjoyed 1966, 1981, 1996, and 1989 Bordeaux (Flemings, Walnut Creek, Ca.): For Dessert-paired by itself, I opened a 375ml bottle, nose of honeysuckle, caramel, pear, lemon, lime, melon, slate, and honeycomb, same on the palate, big body, rich fruit, lovely fruit, balanced sweetness and fruit, terrific, mouth filling fruit, needs no accompaniment, long, long, lovely finish and aftertaste. Uploaded photo.
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12/25/2019 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 100 Points
Amazing. Not sure how it could be any better.
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12/23/2019 - jkvedar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Ginger, caramel, apricot, honey on the nose. Beautiful on the palate. Long finish.
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12/21/2019 - rlove wrote: 94 Points
Canned apricot, dried fig, orange blossom, molasses, and cinnamon on the nose. Effortless balance aside from my usual want of a smidge more acidity. Great concentration to the apricot and peach flavors that linger on the broad finish. Very good and makes one want to stage a d'Yquem 88/89/90 vertical.
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12/21/2019 - MattMauldin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decades of Decadence - "The 9's" (Buellton, CA): Amber color. Aromas of dried apricot, tea leaf spices and flowers. Exotic and fresh palate showing exotic stone fruit, frommage and florals. Great acid and texture, rich depth and length. Showing beautifully.
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12/19/2019 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decades of Decadence -- the '9' Edition (Our Favorite Spot in Buellton, CA): Hardly the best Yquem, but still a treat. Notes of honey, coconut and tropical fruit, restrained for a Sauternes, and the acid is less than I would expect. maybe an off bottle?
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10/10/2019 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
Top 89 Bordeaux (Noizé, London): Incredibly dark. Somewhere between a Rivesaltes and tawny port. Lots of muscavardo. Some tropical notes,but significantly more evolved than a bottle on another table which was half the co.our (mid gold), fresher and more tropical. This bottle **** (91), the fresher one 93.
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10/9/2019 - littlefoot wrote: 95 Points
I'm surprised by some of the notes on color. I bought 750mL's on release and drank the latest bottle Oct 2019. Cellar is held at 60°F.
Color was golden but in no way brown. Not as rich as some other vintages but extremely fresh at 30 years. refined and delicate and impeccably balanced, with a shockingly long finish, esp considering its lightfootedness.
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9/2/2019 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 93 Points
The Yquem 1989 (from half bottles) is a volatile beast and we have ploughed through about half a case of halves and decided to throw the towel and sell the rest. This bottle was the last half in my Eurocave. Served side by side Climens 07 this fox coloured specimen gave pleasure but wasn't earth-shaking - at least an acceptable bottle - note-ably less sweet then the Climens at this stage (although the Climens was not cloying as it had the acidity to balance it), quite salty and smokey with some toffee notes. A nice glass of Sauternes.
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7/14/2019 - MichielH Likes this wine: 95 Points
I love Sauternes!
Dark high-carat gold, maybe "strawberry blond" almost.
Typically, complex somewhat overwhelming noble bouquet. Such joy.
Honey, syrupy viscosity, possibly light hints of subtle lime and possibly a hint of chocolate.
Very complex and wonderful to enjoy. LOOONNNNGGGGG.
Great with the foie gras and brioche!!!
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7/1/2019 - mike410 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very sweet but missing the acidity needed to make this a higher score.
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6/22/2019 - sdr Likes this wine: 96 Points
Hugh’s bottle. Wine of the Night, as Château d’Yquem often is. Gorgeous balance, not too gloppy, sweet or honeyed. Almost reserved in Sauternes terms, the fruit emphasizes peach rather than orange peel. Just the right amount of vanilla oak and acid. It’s in the Spring of its life. Wow.
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5/29/2019 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Po’s 89 Bordeaux @ Trompette (La Trompette, London): Really quite medicinal. Deep amber to a touch it tawny. A fair whack of botrytis. Concentrated barley sugar without the apparent sweetness. Concentrated. Some stewed apricot too. Lightens it’s aspect with air, sweetens too and becomes less medicinal. Decent acidity too. I do like this after all. ****
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5/24/2019 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 96 Points
1989 Bordeaux Dinner (Joseph's Place, Wong Chung Hang, Hong Kong): From several 375ml. Deep copper-gold. Nose is OMFG...wall paper paste, vanilla pod, lemon grass.... so complex and rich. Palate is liquid gold, copper-ish in the mouth, vanilla pod, the sweetest subtlest honeysuckle, gosh... so young, fresh and multi-tiered... stupidly complex. Wondrously complex and mesmeric on the finale.... so young yet so complete. It sent me into reveries..... WOTN by a wide margin. 96+
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5/9/2019 - paul195 wrote: 94 Points
#3 of 12 Similar to last bottle, as noted darker than I would expect given its age but again it looks more mature than it drinks, and I am pleased to say it drinks very well indeed. Once again Yquem, regardless of vintage, is in a class by itself.
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4/21/2019 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 97 Points
Pale straw, very youthful.
Pure, ripe, spicy, honey, floral,
Mineral zest, lightly apricot, honeysuckle, fine oak spice. Spectacular length, resonates endlessly.
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4/18/2019 - salil wrote: flawed
Cab Franc hits and misses: Lightly corked. Still plenty of fruit and honey apparent, but the light wet cardboard notes linger and ruin it.
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2/23/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
It is never the sweetness on its own that makes this work. It is the razor-edged acidity that makes the honeyed, tropical yellow and orange fruit, flowers, butterscotch, burnt caramel, and vanilla pop. Young, fresh, vibrant, full-bodied and complex, drink it now or save it for your kids. I am sure this will age for at least another 30-40 or 50 years if well-stored!
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2/18/2019 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
1989 Bordeaux - 30 years on. (Famous Treasure, Capitol Piazza, Singapore): Such a lovely way to end the night. D’yquem, like so many other lesser Sauternes, really hit the spot in 1989. The nose was wonderful - treacle, honey, molasses, and then dried figs, liquered apricots, peaches, and just that touch of d’Yquem coconut. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. The palate was beautiful. Soft and all-enveloping, it unfolded in layers of dried peaches and nectarines, honey and spice, coconut and a bit of treacle, all spiked with a bit of soft, orangey acidity. Really delicious stuff - this was hedonism in a glass. Great finish too, with a blush of orange blossoms and sweet dried stone fruit flavours sticking to the back of the palate and refusing to let go. A wonderful wine, drinking beautifully well right now. This is nigh indestructible though, and should age effortlessly through the decades.
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2/11/2019 - GonzaloManzaneda wrote:
80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc.
En la época de vendimia, un equipo de 180 personas trabaja durante 6 u 8 semanas, ya que la recolección se realiza grano a grano, no racimo a racimo, y solamente los que tienen el punto buscado de Botrytis.
Pueden realizarse un mínimo de 6 y hasta 11 pasadas.
Nunca se insistirá demasiado en el esmero con que se vinifica Yquem. En la casa nunca se hacen concesiones en las operaciones de vinificación, es el famosos rendimiento real de 9-10 hl/ha. Un primer ensamblaje se realiza 10 meses después de la cosecha, 80% del total del vino. 40 lotes de diferentes parcelas y con los diferentes puntos de madurez conforma la magia de Yquem. El resto se añade (o no) en el ensamblaje final. La fermentación se prolonga entre 4 y 6 semanas y la crianza de 36 meses en barricas de roble 100% nuevo. El ensamblaje final se realiza poco antes de embotellar.
Producción aproximada de 80.000 botellas.
----------------------
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2/6/2019 - grapenomad wrote: 95 Points
If Chateau d'Yquem was a meme, it would be the one from Drake's Hotline Bing. Many shy away from dessert wines under the worn-out phrase "I don't drink sweet wines", but when they see this legendary bottle on the table, a cheshire grin sticks to their faces. These wines are superior in taste and status (hence the name Superior First Growth) indicating that they have complexity, concentration and balance to hold them together for decades, even centuries. It happened only 10 times since 1825 that the crop was so bad the wines were sold anonymously under a random label. This tells you that these guys don't play around.
Deep amber in the glass, like tree sap. Enticing nose taking you on a trip through aromatic realms of dried apricot/mango, caramelized nuts, citrus fruit, nutmeg, honey and Mediterranean herbs. I could go on, but Instagram has limited writing space. Seems lusciously sweet when it just hits the palate, but the acidity cuts this clean somewhere just before the mid-palate emerges. Flawless integration of oak and fruit. Do I have to comment the complexity? Clean, long-lasting aftertaste. This is my first time trying Sauternes and I have to admit, it delivered. Outstanding richness, rounded into silky-smooth elegance. To have such a refreshing dessert wine 30 years after its vintage paired with Moutai souffle by the grand Wai Leong is a true blessing.
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1/19/2019 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
From half bottle. Quite the dark color, well evolved. Similarly on the palate this shows age and definitely one to have sooner than later. Solid acidity, good rich but balanced palate and definitely the elegance that comes with the name. We suspect this was not the best bottle of Yquem 89 around but still a solid 93 for sure.
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1/11/2019 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 95 Points
Holiday dinner at the French Embassy, Washington D.C. (French Embassy): Also served from a half bottle. While the 1983 seemed to exude dark caramel, this was more white and soft in expression and there seemed to be more balance and the expression of black tea, certainly a botrytis indication, was more pure. For a hot vintage, this was so well balanced. Long finish as well as opulent palate. Bravo!
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12/25/2018 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow. 1st Y'Quem and I'm blow away. Thought it might be super sweet but it was extremely well balanced. Enjoyed with apple pie. Perfect match IMO.
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12/16/2018 - dagij Likes this wine: 100 Points
I really haven't drunk that much Sauternes over my life span, so giving this wine a perfect score is combined with a whole lot of humility. Still, I have problems finding any weaknesses in this wine, and in addition it provides sheer excitement and pleasure by just being Yquem. Deep yellow colour, verging on golden with a nutty streak. The nose is dominated by citrus in different forms - orange, lime, citrus - but with a myriad of other aspects emerging as I swirl the glass. Caramel, that famous "rancio" note reminiscent of Sherry, dried orange peel, nuts, minerals (iron). It just goes on and on. Full bodied, enormous sweetness balanced with an incredible acidity. Although the wine is almost thick in the mouth it never feels cloying or stale. The aftertaste is clean, fresh and dominated by citrus. Extreme length. At thirty years age, it is still an adolescent. One ofthe best wines I have ever drunk. Oh, and by the way, it was the perfect companion to a piece of Stilton....
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12/11/2018 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Fabulous nose of tinned peaches, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon and honey. It is full, rich and voluminous. Exotic fruit flavours envelop the palate. For all of its lusciousness it finishes energetically.
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12/8/2018 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 95 Points
Not a bad Saturday afternoon: Lemon creme brûlée in a bottle, with more acidity than I would have predicted 20 years ago. For a long time this was my third favorite of the brilliant 1988 to 1990 run, but it may have passed the 1990 and is closing in on the 1988 as the balancing acidity becomes more and more apparent.
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11/24/2018 - etherscreen04 Likes this wine:
Dried apricot, petrol, honey, and burnt creme brulee sugar. Exquisite balance with the right amount of acid to keep the sugar in check. Dense. Finish goes on. Simply delicious.
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11/15/2018 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
From magnum. Mango and dark apricot with light coconut highlights. A lighter overall profile but a crisp finish. Overly saccharine today, time will be required to turn it into something more complex. 93+
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11/10/2018 - Aravind Asok wrote:
'95/'96 Champagne Celebration (Casa Gill): This was an essentially perfect dessert wine. Honey, apricot, a touch of riesling petrol, caramel...On the palate, amazing acidity balances the sweetness. Just a treat and the best Yquem I've ever had.
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9/27/2018 - wendt Likes this wine: 93 Points
nice
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8/3/2018 - Buddrow Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first time for chateau D'Yquem, tried the 06,97 & 89 at Adams restaurant in Birmingham and they didn't disappoint. The 2006 still young but my 2nd favourite, the 89 is banging and the 97 my 3rd choice. A real treat. Normally D'Yquem is out of my price range but being able to try three different vintages at once was an offer I couldn't refuse.
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7/29/2018 - Boone's Farm wrote: 94 Points
Delicious wine. Honey suckle, apricot, stone fruit and mineral with a good acidity. Completely integrated. Very Long on the palate. A lovely wine with decades of life ahead.
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7/28/2018 - VDLT Wine Likes this wine:
Mostly new friends gathering (Rye Brook): Distressingly the color of bourbon, we were relieved that, while quite advanced, there was plenty of d’Yquem character and complexity. Less fresh and complete than the 1990 I had this year. Less pleasurable than the 90 Raymond Lafon alongside, even if this seemed the better wine in various respects.
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7/11/2018 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 94 Points
A wine with immense bottle variation - from a case of half bottles. The colour here was such that I would not call anyone bonkers who would have poured it down the sink without even sniffing it. In the decanter it looked like Coca-Cola! Luckily it turned out a lot better then we feared and actually made for a very lovely attempt to "sweeten" the mood after a lovely evening of various wines but with the only wrinkle being England's loss to Croatia in the World Cup semis. Back to the Yquem I have reached the conclusion that it just isn't worth its money given how variable they seem to perform plus other sweet options (Rieussec, Climens etc) in Bordeaux seem to perform at similar levels but the price delta is unbelievable.
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6/16/2018 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux 1989 (@ Monarh): Caramel, good botrytis, full bodied, great sweetness and beautiful acidity. Very beautiful wine.
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6/16/2018 - jkoenen wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux 1989 (Restaurant Monarh, Tilburg): this bottle seemed a bit evolved...
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6/3/2018 - ShadowIII Likes this wine: 96 Points
golden, viscous, wonderful aromatics that jump out of the glass, orange blossom, apricot, botrytis, lime, luscious, excellent acidity,very long finish
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5/23/2018 - UTPK wrote:
Second time in a year, and the wine delivers as it should. Less forward than 1990 and less full bodied, which I actually like. The nose explodes with botrytis and glue, and on the palate it is obviously very sweet, but less so than 1990. However, there is also less acidity, so the balance is OK. Matter of taste I guess how heavy you want your Yquems to be.
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5/10/2018 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 94 Points
Château Margaux vertical dinner (Taberna Del Alabardero): At this stage, my palate was just getting too tired. I did get the impression that it was not the freshest example of a 1989 Yquem, not that I have had that many, but thanks to Chris Bublitz and other fine drinking friends who bring such bottles, I can say that it seemed not to be the top example. The color was a bit darker than the 1988 Climens for example. But, again, my note should be taken here with a grain of salt. Sorry.
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4/20/2018 - BouzyRouge Likes this wine:
Medium amber. Nose of apricot, pear, and a hint of chocolate. On the palate more apricot, vanilla, clotted cream. Medium body, on the less viscous side. Lush but never so sweet as to unbalance the acidity. Great length.
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2/18/2018 - MJReb wrote: 96 Points
Chez JPL: Rose color, queen, good acid backbone, long, very well balanced
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1/6/2018 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
SLDS January BBQ: Darker coloured than the 1985. Caramel slice, vanilla, chalk, spice and ginger. Intense sweetness on the palate, this is rich and rounded, but still has good nervy acidity. Feels like this still has potential to lift up a notch.
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12/31/2017 - chatters wrote:
Bit of a treat. Apricot compote and orange marmalade - specifically Tiptree Tawny Orange - backed by some honey, cream and vanilla with a little umami. So it proves on the palate. The glycerol lends mid palate weight and, whilst this is very good and carries long, it does lack a little acidity for me.
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11/25/2017 - jlgnml Likes this wine:
Very youthful
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11/16/2017 - Seafoam Manor wrote: 95 Points
This had been opened and given a few hours of air before being served, consequently, I think this skewed slightly more towards the richer, baked side of things with more of an emphasis on the caramel, vanilla, honey and brûléed orange notes, rather than a lighter fruit profile. Not necessarily any worse, just a bit different. In general, I think the '89 is a richer, more unctuous, style than say the '88, although the high acidity keeps this very lively and not the least bit cloying. Despite the richer notes, the flavors are still amazingly delineated. Relative to the best D'Yquem's, this might lack a tiny bit of complexity but still exceeds 99% of the wines in the rest of the world. Very expressive on the nose and there is a haunting quality on the very long finish. Excellent wine.
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11/7/2017 - Gr8penut Likes this wine: 93 Points
Yummy!
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11/5/2017 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 97 Points
Finally - after having sampled 5 half bottles this year from a case of halves that has been stored in perfect conditions since release (none of which was the real deal), this one was singing. Lovely honey color (lighter in color then previous not so great bottles), beautiful nose and clean smooth on the palate with some lovely acidity and complexity that only the finest sweet wines can deliver. This was just a tiny notch behind a great 1986 Yquem I had a year ago (the 86 was from standard bottle and probably just showed a bit more intensity while the 89 is a bit higher acidity and more elegant). I guess if you have the choice go for lighter colored bottles based on my recent experience... And do watch out for bottle variation for this 89 Yquem, seems a bit notorious based on my case. Let 's see what the remainder of the case will be like...
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10/26/2017 - FransS wrote: 95 Points
After the Haut-Brion '95 and the Latour '66 the show continued. This bottle (also tasted blind) my friend Loek presented showed very young.
It was not difficult to detect the level and Yquem, but the vintage was too difficult. Due to its youthful presentation I suggested a '97.
A German will presumably say 'lebendig' and Frenchman can admire its 'fraicheur' and I will add its youthful impression with some fat, a medium sweet impression above the citrus backbone. With air (the wine was decanted about 6 hours before) in the glass the wine became more complex, smoother and showed a hint of caramel. The aftertaste didn't nearly disappear; a great wine with a great future.
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10/5/2017 - skifree wrote: 94 Points
CT Seattle tasting group rated this 93, with a range of 90-95, in a blind tasting. Alexandre lur Saluce called this one of the best wines he ever made when we met, but I am not sure it lived up to that billing for me. He makes superb wines! Purchased this on the secondary market. Nice secondary nutty flavors to go with the sweetness, but lacked the tension needed for a higher score from me. An outstanding wine for sure, and I certainly am glad that I obtained a bottle.
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10/4/2017 - mye Likes this wine: 94 Points
tasted blind. Amazing richness, but superb balance with just enough acidity. Really what a great sauterne should be and is.
Slightly orange/deep golden color, almond/hazelnut, could smell this all day. Honey/apricot and dried tropical fruit.. exceptional length. Delish.
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10/3/2017 - G_H wrote: 95 Points
Great richness, amazing mouthfeel, feels really approachable, much more than the 1990
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9/8/2017 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
5th of 24, pnp, perfect cork and level, palish gold, flabbier and shorter than my '15 bottle note, though still lovely in a slightly heavy over the top sort of way, not sure that I didn't find more interesting and prefer the fag ends of a bottle of Tour Blanche '90 opened 3 weeks earlier, as better balanced and with more zip. Still VF (18.5).
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8/31/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Chicago Wine Flock...Don Serving So Many Great Blind Wines/Flights (Park Ridge, IL): Double blind alongside the 1990. Easily my favorite wine of the night. Seemed so young and vibrant with perfect juxtaposition of acidity, botrytis, ripe fruit, concentration and other good stuff. This wine has never disappointed.
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8/8/2017 - paul195 wrote: 94 Points
Wine Dinner at Carbone (Carbone): #2 of a 12 pack. Lighter than the bottle earlier this year. This bottle displayed a beautiful nose of dessert fruits. The palate of apricot along with hints of burnt orange and citrus wrapped with hints of caramel and creme brûlée. Lovely texture and persistent finish.
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8/6/2017 - KingSlacker999 wrote: 97 Points
Birthday Celebrations (Woodberry Kitchen): Took a while to open up, but when it did, most excellent. All the tropical fruit you’d ever want. Not old enough to get the coconut yet though. Good acidity, but slightly less than the best bottles of 1989 Yquem. Put on weight in the glass. Was never too sweet (as great Yquem never is). Wonderful finish to a great evening.
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8/3/2017 - BenBlu wrote: 93 Points
From half bottle. Bought a case of halves and and this was the second bottle (first was defective - sherry aromas). So second bottle decided to take to restaurant to have a sommelier present to opine. Well the second bottle was better, did not seem defective. Good vibrant golden color. The nose was muted though. On the palate good acidity, some tropical fruits. But not much in the way of toffee or creme brulee aromas I would also have hoped for. Good sweet wine, but not truly great Yquem for me. Maybe the bottle was also not perfect? The sommelier thought it was a fine Yquem. My friend did not like it much though - in his view not a good bottle of Yquem. Based on this bottle it was nowhere as good as the 86 Yquem I had recently from a normal bottle which showed beautifully.
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6/29/2017 - gsquireh wrote:
adjust inventory
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6/14/2017 - acyso wrote: 98 Points
The Yquem dinner (Chicago, IL): From half-bottle. This was a very smoky rendition of Yquem, and it had a little bit of funkiness to it that the other wines didn't have. The botrytis here has got to be totally off the charts at this point. This was, to me, the thickest, heaviest, densest, and richest of all the Yquem we had tonight. But it's just so incredibly good despite all of that.
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6/10/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
This just keeps getting better and better, like all great wines! Thick and rich, with enough extract of ripe and over ripe tropical fruit slathered in honey that you want to eat it. But the racy acidity keeps it all in check. Drink this now, wait a year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years of gift it to your kids. Great stuff!
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6/8/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
At the moment this is my favorite vintage of this wine and it was probably my favorite wine of our dinner (which also included '96 Salon, '80 Unico, '93 Colgin Herb Lamb). It's just the right level of aging where it's really rocking. A bit more aged than the bottles that we had about 2 years ago, but also from a split rather than a 750 so that might explain it. Some honey characteristics, apricot, great acidity. Paired nicely with an almond/meringue take on strawberry shortcake.
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5/21/2017 - ubercuvee wrote:
I didn't get it. Very tropical (coconut, guava, pineapple) and not really showing any Yquem character apart from the fine balance. I'd take the '90 (let alone the '88 or '83) over this any day
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4/22/2017 - A.Hansen wrote: 96 Points
Apricots, creme brûlée and peaches. Beautiful, rich and will go on forever.
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4/8/2017 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 99 Points
Royalty rich, an oleaginous textured wine that will drink with finesse and glory now and seemingly forever. The king of the eighties for Château d'Yquem, no stealing the scepter from this ruling royal as the glycerin, alcohol, honey, primrose and mimosa flower aromas, apricots and dates, allspice, and ripe and rich peach combine for a journey into the sauternes' treasure vault. Wish I had more than a bottle left- looks like time for a quality provenance quest and a happy purchase.
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3/3/2017 - BradE wrote:
Delicious.
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2/14/2017 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 94 Points
A darker apricot color, nose of honey and spice, great balance and very long finish. Has a long upside regarding its ability to age. Enjoy.
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2/7/2017 - paul195 wrote: 94 Points
First 375ml of a 12 pack. Brought for dessert but decided to have with a chicken liver mousse appetizer. PnP darker than I had expected, lighter styled Yquem, medium sweetness, good acidity played well with the mousse. some burnt orange and citrus flavors mixed with peach and apricot and hints of caramel and creme brûlée. Lovely texture and persistent finish.
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11/5/2016 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Orange rind, meyer lemon juice, Bear Claw pastry, toasted coconut, tiny hint of maple. Complex, layered, killer.
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10/25/2016 - WinoRick Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dark amber that matched the complex burnt caramel flavors. In balance with most sweetness dissolved. WOTN in my opinion after having a Haut Brion Blanc and a Ponsot Clos de la Roche!
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8/2/2016 - fclarity wrote: 93 Points
Tasted blind at the end of a long night, this wine had a burnt orange center and clear rims. I thought the wine looked a lot older than 1989.
This wine had an attractive refined mouthfeel. It had the weight of Climens but a hint of that orange peel I associate with Rieussec.
Overall, this is a nice Sauterne that is drinking well now. However, it did not seem to be special in relation to a great Y'Quem or even other top vintage Sauternes. I will need to try this again earlier in the night to see if I still reach the same conclusion.
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5/20/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 95 Points
Very late, late, late night taste from a bottle that had been Coravin'ed for a while. Sweetness and botrytis in spades with great intensity of cling peaches in heavy syrup. Or so I wrote. Super delish.
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4/23/2016 - FrancoisD Likes this wine: 93 Points
(repas d'anniversaire de groupe avec dégustation de plusieurs bouteilles)
Suivant le fameux Trotanoy 1982
Un bon Yquem, mais pas grandiose pour autant. Foncé dans la bouteille, est devenu très ambré dans la carafe (car bouchon friable et désagrégé au moment de l'aération).
Arômes de gauffres, noisettes grillées. Consensus sur la "Crème brulée". Caramel un peu trop présent. Absence d'agrumes ou de marmelade laisse croire à un vin qui devait être bu sans tarder.
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4/23/2016 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 97 Points
Deep Amber color, honeysuckle nose. Deep flavors, bold yet nuanced. Honey, toffee, butterscotch, hint of vanilla. Absolutely delicious!
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11/26/2015 - dbg wrote:
Cellared since release. Perfect cork and fill. Rich golden color. Explosive nose, apricot, honey, flowers on the nose, rich thick palate feel with apricot, honey, citrus, pineapple, intense sweet ripe fruit with great balancing acidity. Should last many years. Outstanding.
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11/14/2015 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 93 Points
Nose of marmalade, candied grapefruit, and apricot. Notes suggesting higher alcohol but with nice woody and varnish aromas. Loads of candied apricot on the palate. Still makes for delicious drinking and always a pleasure to taste. Outshone by the 2001 served alongside.
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11/6/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Great Wine Dinner with Friends (RPM Steak - Chicago IL): From 375 ml bottle. Dried apricot and poached pear with lots of intriguing textures. Dessert in a glass.
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8/22/2015 - TheMounty Likes this wine: 99 Points
Deep amber color grabbed everyone's attention in a blind flight of Bordeauxs. Powerful aged aromatics were right in line with the flavors; toffee, caramel, and apricot. Medium sweet, fresh acid, mouth-coating full body. Long finish doesn't begin to describe how this will linger in your mouth. Take a bite of food, a drink of water, and 3 minutes later it's still d'Quem.
I feel like giving a perfect score is like giving up, but this was fantastic. Hands down the best Sauterne I've ever had. Drank from 750ml, the '89 has another decade ahead of it easy.
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3/18/2015 - Bisty Likes this wine: 91 Points
From a rather evolved bottle. Had lost some freshness and felt slightly clumsy and sligtly oxidised.
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2/21/2015 - liber Likes this wine: 97 Points
4th of 24 - golden nectar, seemed tighter and more focussed than last bottle which is good news, though the 88 still has the edge, must re-try the 90 which on last showing was almost too unctuous and broad. Very fine plus (19/20).
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2/20/2015 - vinus_operandi Likes this wine: 97 Points
I love dessert wines and this is among the best of the best. Beautiful apricot, honeysuckle, and a slight orange peel explode onto the palate. Perfectly balanced and not syrupy. This wine was bright and lively and had a sense of purity that made it thoroughly enjoyable with a custard fruit tart. smooth with a long finish.............
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2/14/2015 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points
St. Valentine's Day - 1974 Montelena Dinner (New Jersey): From 375ml bottle, this is medium to dark amber color, showing its age but not more than you'd expect. Wonderful nose of apricots, pear and butterscotch. Unctuous mouth feel, rich yet lively with plenty acidity for a long life yet to come. Flavors reflected the nose and it was lovely with fruit tart and soft cheese (the exact type I forget as all the wine is getting in the way of my memory of the name). Thanks again to "Rudy" for bringing the always "on point" cheeses.
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1/24/2015 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 94 Points
Söta mogna aprikoser, tropisk frukt, honung, rostade nötter och underbara saffranstoner. Fin syra som väger upp sötman, fin textur och känsla i munnen, balanserat och fint och en lite fina toner av bittermandel i avslutet.
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1/24/2015 - CO_Roots13 Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is an outstanding bottle drinking exceptionally well. I wanted to say that it's at its peak, but that would suggest that it won't improve (an think it will still improve a little). Toffee, citrus, honey, marzipan, roasted walnut, etc...on and on. A bit of a brute, this is a powerful expression with a syrupy texture and a very long finish. There is just enough acidity to keep the sweetness in check.
9-19-10-9
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1/9/2015 - la turque wrote: 94 Points
This is fully mature, and offering tremendous drinking pleasure. Deep amber in colour, with complex aromas of toffee, dried apricots, almonds, marzipan and tropical fruits. On the palate, rich and deep, with the sweet caramel, toffee and almond aspects standing out. Acidity in balance, but just a tiny bit on the flabby side. Drink now.
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12/25/2014 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 96 Points
Christmas Day 2014 (Walnut Creek, Ca.): From a 375ml bottle, nose of honeysuckle, caramel, pear, white peach, and honeycomb, same on the palate, big body, rich fruit, lovely fruit, mouth filling fruit, very tasty, enjoyed over 3 hours, no dessert, only the Yquem, and a long, long, finish and lingering aftertaste.
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12/24/2014 - kevin h wrote: 91 Points
Only my second Yquem. A decent mature Sauternes and a good match for a selection of blue cheese, but truthfully nothing special. Nice creamy and apricot nose. Apricot and Creme brûlée flavour. Good wine but lacks real refinement or depth.
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12/6/2014 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
Wines @ Mike's (Coventry, CT): An excellent Sauternes, but perhaps not an excellent d'Yquem. Moderate complexity with good persistence, but a bit too loose-knit for d'Yquem. A bit more tension and depth is needed. A wonderful dessert wine, but expectations are high for this estate.
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12/6/2014 - salil wrote: 91 Points
I've really loved the '89 Yquem in the past, but this was a step down from my previous experiences - still a really impressive wine, but lacking the intensity and depth to give it that wow factor I've experienced before. Lots of ripe apricot and tropical fruit here drizzled in honey, vanilla, and flowers, but it feels a touch heavy on the palate without the finesse and elegance this wine normally has.
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12/6/2014 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 91 Points
December birthdays (Coventry): Quite a lot of variability between bottles (or me, day to day). Quite rich, with tropical fruits and spice, and very good, but lacking the interest and depth of a truly-exceptional wine. Good length.
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10/19/2014 - Mlermontov wrote: 92 Points
The Great Schintzel Dinner at Eric's and Deb's: Figs, toffee and caramel. lovely light nose flows right into the palate- which is fresh with honeyed citrus underlined by a zip of acidity. very long finish. Finesse is the name of the game here. Lovely!
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10/17/2014 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
A Ledbury lunch: Deeper colour than previously, old burnished gold had become a deep copper. Very attractive nose, barley sugar but also a freshness and sense of zip. Similar on palate. So much better than previous bottle. This has balance, depth and not inconsiderable interest. Moderate plus length with a slightly lingering quality. Works well on its own, with cheese and with pudding. Lovely ****
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10/14/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
The right, no make that perfect balance of freshness, sweetness and honey slathered fruit that coats your palate with the essence of ripe, very ripe and extremely ripe.
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9/6/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Had the fantastic opportunity to taste the 1988, 1989, 1990 tonight, all three very good vintages of d'Yquem that are valued similarly in the marketplace. Macadamia nuts, ripe stone fruit, creme brulee with more nuance and subtlety vs the 1988. Thank you, Jamie!
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8/23/2014 - steinersing wrote: 93 Points
like this vintage - not overly sweet; seems good acidity levels and structure
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7/21/2014 - Rosengoo wrote: 96 Points
This bottle was drank at Bar Isabel with a group of Toronto wine drinkers and an out of town guest from Chicago. It was chilled and consumed firstly with foie gras and then with desert. It's always great to drink some Yquem and this bottle didn't disappoint. Mid level orange in colour with a nose filled with peaches and honey. These same smells were in the glass as well. The wine was very slightly thin but I think that it's starting to hit it's stride now. If you have these and can hold out for another 3-5 years, I think that you will be rewarded.
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7/5/2014 - melzar wrote: 91 Points
From 375: Beginning to turn a light amber. Expressive nose, but a little cloying on the palate. Expected more complexity and acidity. Over rated? Guess I'm a Climens guy.
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6/13/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
I really liked this vintage and even prefer it to the '90 at this point as it's quite more ready although it has a nice austere character that I like. Fresh acids give way to very pure flavors of clove, apricot and mango. The finish has beautiful intensity with just the right touch of sweetness and spice. Long, complex and nutty and not over-powering for a young Yquem. 95+
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6/10/2014 - ricknat1 wrote: 94 Points
Very nice, young but well matched
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5/17/2014 - mwanasheria wrote: 95 Points
1989 in the Rheingau (Eltville, Rheingau, Germany): Nose of apricots, honey, caramel. On the palate honey, apricots, mango, honeycomb. Quite high in viscosity and sweetness but a great Yquem.
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4/21/2014 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 98 Points
My oh my. Deeply aromatic, smelling of honey, apricot, baked spiced apple and almond. Rich and viscous, the flavors went on for minutes...and it will probably be better in 20 years. Awesome.
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3/10/2014 - dcwino wrote: 96 Points
Impromtu Dinner with Michael Jessen - 96 Champanges and Red Burgundy Dinner (The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): Another half from the Justin’s batch. Expressive nose displaying apricot, mango, yellow peach, dry apricot, botrytis a la ginger which was more noticeable than the previous bottles, baking spices and crème brulee. As usual, intense and dense yet so silky and airy. I love the palate expression of D’Yquem.
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2/23/2014 - CAP Likes this wine: 95 Points
Brilliant mouthfeel and fruit well balanced with acid even now. Not in danger yet, but maybe not getting better either? Drank for our 20th anniversary and really added to that special dinner.
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1/10/2014 - EhrlichDY wrote: 97 Points
Light and airy yet densely packed with flavor at the same time. Baking spice, honey, caramel flavors are starting to lose their strength as this wine transitions to it's second stage of life at 25. Amazing effort and no doubt this is a 100 year wine.
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1/2/2014 - BradE wrote:
Beautiful as always.
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12/30/2013 - jeremy@ Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dinner at the Fung's! (Fung's): I'm not usually a fan of sauternes but this one was really good. rich gold in colour. honey and vanilla on the nose. drinks beautifully with great balance. the acidity was just right to balance off the sweetness.
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12/20/2013 - Billigan Likes this wine: 98 Points
Regal, mesmerizing, and my wine of the year by a country mile. Tremendous intensity and complexity on the nose, with a warm apricot core surrounded by a wild array of coconut, honey, vanilla, and rose petal aromas. Equally stunning on the rich but impeccably and effortlessly balanced palate. Plenty of viscosity, but it just glides lightly across the tongue. The taste just lingers on and on (and I'm not typically one to put much stock in the duration of a finish, but this wine really distinguished itself in that regard). In a different league than any dessert wine I've ever had.
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12/19/2013 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Richebourg and RSV dinner at Ripple (Ripple Restaurant in DC): Another half bottle from the same batch. Once again, slightly more mature perhaps due to the format. Dry apricot, light caramel, nutmeg and creme brulee. For me, D’Yquem is all about the texture. Incredible density yet so airy, intense yet light. Lovely showing. Definitely preferred the palate (97 pts) to the nose (93 pts).
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12/15/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 95 Points
Honey, dried orange, apricot and more citrus notes. Full, sweet but not heavy on the palate. Beautiful.
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11/11/2013 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 94 Points
Honey color, sweet, awesome, love this stuff
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10/2/2013 - Le Musigny wrote:
Classic yquem.
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9/24/2013 - Champagneinhand Likes this wine: 96 Points
I loved this wine. Bested the 1990 from last year. All smoothly integrated with dried apricots, oranges, spices and the sweetness has become quite smooth without any ABV that stuck out. This had a finish lasted for a really long time. Great dessert wine.
Maybe 96+
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9/21/2013 - wineberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Charleston Dinner #2 - SQN, d'Yquem, Ponsot, Margaux, and others (Circa 1886): My second bottle of D'yquem, and again does not disappoint. Lush, rich, silky, and smooth, this shows apricot, peach, spice, honey, and something I perceive as a fresh linen scent. Awesome.
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7/25/2013 - DoubleMagnum Likes this wine: 92 Points
1980's Bordeaux Dinner (Arlington Club, NY): No formal notes taken. Very good wine though. Thick as hell.
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5/15/2013 - Drinking Trees wrote:
Having never tasted a Château d'Yquem, I expected that even if it was better than any other Sauternes, it couldn't possibly justify the price difference. But as soon as I smelt this, I could tell that it wasn't just a slight improvement on Premier Cru Sauternes; it's truly in a league of its own. Nose shows barrels of flavour: 20-year-old rum, Grand Marnier, raisins and toffee, with hints of blue cheese and tropical fruit. Heavy body balances moderate sugar and acid, but this is more about flavour than structure. Bold notes of golden syrup, pineapple and ham steaks, with emerging notes of dark honey, blue cheese and reduced pear. This was showing a cornucopia of bold, rich flavours, and if we'd left it in our glasses, there's every indication that it would have kept revealing more and more layers of flavour.
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5/4/2013 - Vintomas wrote: 97 Points
Château d'Yquem tasting (Stockholm): Appearance: dark golden yellow, some amber
Nose: botrytis, dried apricots, candied fruit, some solvent notes (not disturbing, but more than in the 1996 Yquem), spice, some saffron. More "muted" nose than the 1996.
Palate: very sweet, viscous, dried apricots, zest, botrytis, high acidity, honey, spice, very concentrated. Quite good aftertaste of medium length.
Summary: the palate is quite fantastic, the nose not quite at the same level. Fully developed, 97 p
The cork of this bottle was slightly difficult since it was somewhat dried-out and brittle, which indicates that the bottle had been stored under too dry conditons. Possibly, the colour was a bit darker than it could be. The wine was in good condition despite the cork, but I don't rule out that the 1989 Yquem could be even a little better from a perfectly stored bottle.
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4/28/2013 - P&F wrote: 100 Points
We drank this a while ago, and it was the first serious wine we ever drank -- so the rating is probably skewed by the newbie factor. With that said, I recall the bouquet being overwhelming and persistent, and the taste being of caramelized tropical fruits, vanilla, and so on. The finish was the most amazing part -- 10 minutes at least, it just kept going on. Really amazing wine we won't forget, and which is the touchstone for all the others we have.
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4/26/2013 - alr6767 wrote: 96 Points
This was a great d'yquem we tasted over two days to celebrate a birthday. Darker gold color. Insanely complex nose, round and supple on the tongue, with creme brulee finish that was still going the next morning. Fantastic.
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3/7/2013 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Farewell to Josh - the burbs have him now. (L'Artusi Restaurant, West Village, Manhattan): Forceful nose of cinnamon and red spices, cane sugar and some heat. Quite burly and potent. Just great on the palate, rich but with good structure and cut. Big, spice, sugar-spicy, brulee. Get even better on the long classic finish - great focus. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/6 = 17.5/20.
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2/28/2013 - Vintomas wrote: flawed
Château d'Yquem with AuZone (AuZone, Stockholm): Colour: deep golden yellow
Nose: solvent, volatile acidity, caramel and dried fruit, some fudge, noticeable spice, some flower. On top of this unfortunately a discrete TCA/cork defect note, not too obvious but it is there. In total, this makes the wine less complex than the best.
Palate: spice, caramel, dried fruit including apricot, high acidity, and an odd taste component which must come from the TCA/defect. Rather long aftertaste with some bitterness.
Overall impression: unfortunately affected by the cork at the level of a "sneaky defect", but has a lot of the character of a great wine and was drinkable. On balance - 91 p?
Different opinions about this bottle from the other tasters - from obviously corked to some other, milder defect than cork taint, with me somewhere in the middle.
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2/23/2013 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Top 09 and 10 red Burgundy tasting (Capital Grill at Tysons corner, VA): This particular bottle seems slightly more mature than the previous 89s. Dry apricots, ginger and spices. Unctuous palate. I preferred the 90 tonight. The 86-90 D’Yquems seem to be awkward stage where one day they show extremely well and the next not so. Not so for this wine tonight still enjoyable.
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2/11/2013 - aagrawal wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with Kent (Bella Trattoria, San Francisco): From a half. Tasted blind side by side with the 1988 Yquem, and I could pick this out as the 1989. (I had never tried the 1988 before but had tried the 1989.) The color on this is exactly the same as the 1988: golden-orange. Nose is superb (perhaps more forward than the '88) and showing more mature characteristics of dried apricot, dried fruit, nice spice, some copper notes, slight caramel; palate shows great mature balance between dried fruit, acidity, sweetness, and slight copper mature notes; finish is long and clean. This is a superb sauternes showing at peak now, more mature than the 1988 but also perhaps more aromatic and showing more of its potential. As usual, Yquem strikes a great balance between richness and lightness. 95-96
Day 2: This has held up very well (without necessarily improving) and is consistent with notes from yesterday. The nose on this is sublime.
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1/19/2013 - KingSlacker999 wrote: 100 Points
Oh my, what a nose. Tropical fruits, botrytis, caramel, apricot, coconut all just waft from the glass. Sweet, but not too sweet. Impeccable balance and a very very long finish. Perfection in a glass.
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12/25/2012 - kr522 wrote: 95 Points
like drinking liquified flan.
i barely detect (and in the past haven't) hints of citrus. Stylistically it is low on acid and complexity but very concentrated, with caramel and vanilla bean predominating. I've always preferred the 88, but this is immensely enjoyable.
It's a wine to have in place of dessert, or if you happened to miss loading your pancakes with syrup in the morning and are still craving it!
Merry Christmas
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12/20/2012 - StewartWent Likes this wine: 93 Points
VVG. Not quite bristling with acidity but the fruit has a minor battle to get on top. Masses of apricot and aniseed but the acid carries the wine beautifully. Has 20 years ahead of it.
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12/15/2012 - rnellans wrote: 95 Points
Just a beautiful drunk on my 70th birthday party in Burgundy! This will last forever, but great now.
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12/4/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
No matter how many times I taste this elixir, it's always an exciting tasting experience. I've been lucky enough to have tasted this vintage twice, in the last 3 three and both times, the pineapple, floral, vanilla, apricot, spice and white peaches drenched in honey made a compelling bouquet. On the palate, over the years the wine has continued putting on weight and gaining new levels of complexity. There is a beautiful purity to the fruit that is not found in other wines. The acidity keeps it fresh and lively. At 24 years of age, it's still a baby. Drink it now, or save it for your lucky grandchildren.
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10/18/2012 - DAN BAILEY wrote:
Served double blind. Classic yquem profile to me of sharp palate with burnt toffee and plenty of botrytis but not revealing much in the way of complexity yet. Cries of "we obviously aren't drinking yquem in this flight" were met with much laughter when it was revealed!
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9/17/2012 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 93 Points
Deep amber; ripe nose of pineapple, apricot, fruit compote; full bodied, lemon, pineapple, almonds. Medium acidity, good but not racy. Medium finish.
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9/15/2012 - Dave Canada wrote: 98 Points
Super Tasting 1 of 6 - Andrew does 1989 Bordeaux (Langdon Hall, Blair, Ontario): Wow…this just jumped out of the glass with notes of lemongrass, mint, nutmeg, pineapple, quince, guava, mushroom, earth and gorgeous minerality. The palate is thick…huge texture on this wine with the viscosity of oil but with its balncing acid, it just glide over the palate. So balanced. Notes of honey, marzipan, mushrooms, earth, turpentine, lemon, pineapple and guava.
Immense length….3 minutes later I am still tasting this wine. Waves of flavour. Intense, Long, Complex. Reference point sauternes. WOW.
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9/15/2012 - Wine Canuck wrote: 97 Points
Super Tasting 1 of 6 - Andrew (Langdon Hall, Cambridge, ON): Wow! On first pour huge botrytis and turpentine is evident but both are quite pleasant. This wine earns it's points from it's elegance and huge complexity, not from power. Fruit profile is wild: pineapple, mango, vanilla. What is also remarkable with this wine is the palate; so viscus, but seems to evaporate on the tongue with a great cut of acidity and sugar doesn't dominate whatsoever. Definitely a mushroom and earthy note but I attribute that to the botrytis rather than maturity; this wine is still a baby. Finish is wildly long; still making an appearance minutes after consumption. Best sauternes that has ever graced my lips.
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9/15/2012 - alittle wrote: 97 Points
Tasting Group Dinner Series (1 of 6) / Andrew's 28th Birthday (Red Room, Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ontario): Popped and poured, followed in the glass over the next few hours. Medium, nearing deep golden colour in the glass. Gorgeous nose of honey, beeswax, spice, white florals, dried apricot, burnt sugar, lemongrass, and some light terpentine, mushroom and earth, showing a bit of age, despite overall, being quite youthful. On the palate, this really shines, very elegant and understated, while maintaining an immense richness, showing exceptional balance, and a massive finish characterized by notes of honey, botrytis, cloves, dried fruits and creme brule, that just glides across the palate with ease. A beautiful wine, and a wonderful way to set the stage for the reds.
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8/13/2012 - godx wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at Doyle & Lesley's (Vancouver, BC): Medium gold colour. Exotic and youthful nose of tropical fruit, honey, crème brulee and candied lemon. On the palate it’s rich and concentrated with apricot, honey and sweet pineapple flavours wrapped in a balanced framework of intensity, acidity and length. Full bodied and complex. Seems to me this is in its early drinking window and should continue to drink well and develop for decades. Outstanding. 93+
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7/1/2012 - melzar wrote: 92 Points
From 375. Very nice sauterne, but somehow I expected more from Yquem. Beginning to darken from it's golden yellow youthful hue. Very concentrated and sweet. One could wish for a little more acidity and complexity.
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5/8/2012 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
An Offline for Luke (28-50, London): Fairly deep burnished old gold. Deep, quite dense barley sugar nose. Obviously sweet and ripe. Lots upfront but it lacks development and persistence through the mid-palate and finish. A bit too ripe really - needs some acidity to hold its line - doesn't liv up to its initial promise. ***1/2
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4/5/2012 - lepetitchateau wrote: 96 Points
This ooozed class, breed and sophistication, a very impressive wine.
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4/5/2012 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
Mouton 86 vs Lafite 89 and some other friends (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): From Half Bottle.
Colour points to a much older wine and we would have guessed early 80s. On the nose is ever so balanced with apricots, light exotics. Ever the long complex nose. On the palate the balance and finesse make an entrance early on. Maybe has lost some of its vitality but the wine was in general singing all the way. Beautiful. 94-95
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2/14/2012 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
The infamous Gerry, who was sitting next to me, was not so enamoured. As we were playing options it was revealed as Yquem and we were trying to guess the year, he blurted out ‘whatever it is I’ve got it for sale’! I thought it was very smart with a complex nose of vanilla, toast, candied peel and cumquat. It was full and exotic with a nice savoury finish and good length.
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12/31/2011 - DollarMenunaire wrote: 95 Points
From 375ml... Elegant to the point of not seeming like a dessert wine. Nose is mature and slightly sherried which sets the backdrop for the wine's complexity. Tropical fruit, flowers, toasted marshmallow, and cinnamon. Long finish drives home the nimble elegance of the wine and begs another sip.
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12/27/2011 - MauriceE wrote: 100 Points
Yesterday we had Yquem 1988 from 0,75l bottle, now 1989 from half bottle: just perfect. This is pure emotion. No wine-lover can deny the greatness of this wine. Just great, perfection indeed. No hesitation to award the perfect score.
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12/27/2011 - maxime3333 wrote: 98 Points
Bu hier avec de bons amis, ce vin est tout simplement renversant. Il l'est à partir du moment où on le met dans la coupe et l'air ambiant s'impreigne de son odeur. Le nez est principalement sur les oranges et les pêches, mais la palette d'odeurs est infinie lorsque vous mettez votre nez dans la coupe!
En bouche, à la seconde où le vin a touché mon palais, la première réaction que j'ai eue c'était de me dire: GRAS! Quel viscosité incroyable! Le vin a été très évolutif, mais ce qui a dominé c'est cet aspect agrumes, qui commence à tirer sur la caramélisation mais pas trop. Une finale, comme à l'habitude pour un Yquem, interminable. Un vin qui possède encore plusieurs dizaines d'années devant lui!
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12/26/2011 - Opusone99 wrote: 98 Points
Ce Yquem est magique! La robe est d'un superbe doré, le nez est puissant sur des notes d'orange, de caramel. En bouche, le vin est très gras et la texture est d'un velouté incroyable et la finale me laisse sans mots. Ces quelques mots résument parfaitement mon expérience avec ce vin. Immense vin!
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12/25/2011 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 97 Points
Christmas Day 2011 (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Dessert by itself, 375ml bottle, nose of pear, lemon, watermelon, honeycomb, honeysuckle, peach, and caramel, more of the same on the palate, big body, very tasty, elegant, at peak, rich, lovely, sweet fruit, mouth filling fruit, and a long, long, lovely finish and aftertaste.
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12/19/2011 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: 92 Points
Acker BYO 2011 (Tribeca Grill): Showing some heat on the nose, wood, honey and caramel, oak. Sugary and caramel on the palate - still young - will be impressive. Lots of alcohol, spicy and honey. Needs lots of time. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 16/20.
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12/12/2011 - lepetitchateau wrote: 95 Points
A big, rich, thick, opulent wine, showing nicely tonight.
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11/7/2011 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Good but looked a little advanced. It showed some toffee apple and crème brulee aromas and flavours, was rich and round and had a very long length of flavour.
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9/8/2011 - Greg Munyard wrote: 95 Points
375ml drunk 8 Sept 2011 over dinner; magnificent - thanks Mena! Colour: Rich, golden, quite mature.
Nose: Big, rich raisinny botrytis; almost fat. Crème caramel, burnt toffee, burnt orange, apricots, fruit mince pie, Christmas cake plus freshly cut champignons and musk lifesavers. Needless to say, very complex. Classic Yquem. Let me at it!
Palate: Classic warm vintage Yquem; rich, thick, opulent - you name it - with distinct crème caramel and burnt toffee over an apricotty base full of botrytis. An extracted finish of bitter marmalade and burnt orange adds character to a luscious and long palate, which goes on and on. An emphatic, great wine.
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7/7/2011 - JamesTye wrote: 97 Points
From 750 ml. Opened 5 hours before serving. Beautiful, golden hue. Viscous. On the nose, toffee, candied fruits and rich in botrytis. On the palate the toffee, pineapple and candied fruits shine in this wine. Perfectly balanced with a rich vein of acidity and an almost endless finish. Entrancing and superb and clear WOTN for me. Still young but drinking perfectly and really benefitted from a few hours of air before serving. This is Yquem near the top of its game.
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5/14/2011 - TexasBob wrote: 98 Points
My first Chateau d'Yquem. My only prior Sauternes experience was Chateau Clemons and I did not expect to be impressed, but I was. Rod Learned brought this bottle to a dinner party.
Dark yellow-brown. Musty syrupy smell. Notes of tropical fruits including Apricot, papaya, pineapple, honey, some light orange that strangely was present yet did not dominate at all, elderflower, peaches. Much less viscous than I thought it would be. Honey dew melon. This set my taste buds on fire. The finish lasts forever and brings about all the flavors in seemingly random order. Great stuff.
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5/1/2011 - aagrawal wrote: 95 Points
From a 375, straight from the hand of Zod. Color is golden-orange; nose wafts out of the glass but isn't in-your-face intense, honey, dried fruit/apricots, hint of baker's spices and confectioner's sugar, very complex but well integrated and the various components mesh together well; palate has huge flavor, starts with juicy white stone fruit (peach, etc) and good sweetness, transitions to hint of a metallic component, then acidity hits and cleans up the palate; finish has great acidity, medium-long length. Overall this is a superb sauternes in good condition at full maturity but still with much life ahead. It falls a tad short of the young but vibrant 2003, but still is exceptional in its own right. 95 points.
Update: Day 2- still lovely, fantastic texture and smoothness.
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4/27/2011 - jlgnml wrote: 95 Points
Les Degustateurs (SPROUT Chicago IL): Great color, not oxidizing, tight on the palate, sweet with great depth.
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3/28/2011 - ginfizz wrote: 90 Points
A bit too caramelized, this was one dimensional for an Yquem. Look out for bottles that are too dark, they seem to be cropping up in this vintage.
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3/22/2011 - Biglama wrote: 97 Points
oranje gele kleur, bijna goud. neus is met krenten, rozijnen, honing, abrikoos, sinaasappel, duidelijk is de botrytus, heerlijk complex, heel vragende neus. volle smaak, heel breed en intens, heeft de perfecte balans, blijft zo mooi drinkbaar door de frisse zuren, lang en geconcentreerd, komt nog jong over, heeft nog een leven voor zich
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3/17/2011 - salil wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic. Powerful, layered with honey-drenched apricots, pineapple and other tropical fruits, vanilla cream and slightly developed burnished flavours in a rich, slightly viscous package. There's lots of richness and stuffing here, but also really good acidity that keeps it beautifully balanced and tremendous length. A real treat, thanks Mike.
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1/29/2011 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 96 Points
Deep gold. Powerful, concentrated, and loaded with sweetness. Yet, amazingly balanced acidity and depth of fruit with a very very long finish. Insert seven million descriptors of liquid gold here. Excellent accompaniment to the seared foie gras, blue cheese gnocchi, and creme brulee (thanks Jeremy!). Given the wine's celebrity provenance, all involved kneeled to Zod.
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1/15/2011 - Edclr wrote: 99 Points
One of my favorite Yquem's ever. Maybe it's the bottle, but I doubt it. Beautifully balanced, intensely thick and unctious, gorgeous flavors of everything imaginable going on at various time over 2 hours. But, what at tasting. First course was 76 Yquem in magnum with foie gras dish. Then the 89 and 71 were served with 3 cheeses, perfectly chosen to match with the flavors of the Sauternes. Final course was dessert, sweet stuff, with 90 Climans and Rieussec. Sandwiched in between was a lamb course with two 1st growth bordeaux. Nice little dinner for 12 in Naples. Gotta tell you, the 71 was very dark in color, but 76 and 89 were still like babies.
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12/2/2010 - thenapalist wrote: 98 Points
Simply stunning. Classic Yquem. Golden in color with brown sugar, apricot, nectarine and caramel flavors. Sweet nectar.
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11/27/2010 - jlgnml wrote: 92 Points
Pizza Night with wines from 1989 (Our House): Dark amber color, good viscosity, lasting on the palate, apricot, smooth, better after a while in the glass, really began to come together. Age worthy.
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9/3/2010 - ispringett wrote:
Haut Brion, LMHB at the Ledbury (Ledbury): Deep copper gold. This is a touch oxidative - perhaps not a clean bottle. Spice, creme caramel on the nose, this is a touch overevolved, and seems fat and lacking definition compared to the Climens.
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9/3/2010 - Rupert wrote:
Haut Brion v La Mission (The Ledbury, London): Thick, a bit heavy and oxidative at first, but my last mouthful was gorgeously exotic and complex and I wish I'd paid it more attention
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7/23/2010 - MatthewF wrote:
Burgundy Dinner with Friends (Bryn Mawr Country Club, IL): 750ml. Slight golden color. Apricot and baked peach and pineapple aromatics with vanilla and a bit of honeysuckle. Ripe, rich palate with the same fruit profile. Brown sugar and custard notes. Great length and good acidity throughout. Still very young and will go for many more years.
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5/30/2010 - tbabes wrote: 96 Points
The Kitchen Cabinet does Per Se (Per Se, East Dining Room): The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound. A deep golden color, with an incredibly exotic bouquet of candied white fruits, honey, orange marmalade, flowers and vanilla. A bit lighter on the palate than what I was expecting -- it had the visocisity of motor oil -- but with layers and layers of flavor and a jaw-dropping finish.
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3/7/2010 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 98 Points
A quick peek at this exceedingly young 21 year old. How can a wine with this size be so light and nimble... floating to the heavens. Amazing. Give it 20 to 50 more years.
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2/27/2010 - Pearls_b4Swine wrote: 92 Points
Drank with Heather and Tom; seemed to be more one dimensional than last time I had this. Perhaps it fared poorly by being preceded by the '01 Suduiraut, though I would have expected it to show better, as it has in the past.
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1/20/2010 - la turque wrote: 98 Points
Beautiful deep amber colour, with lovely notes of toffee, caramel, apricots and pineapple. Acidity beautifully in balance with fruit. An awesome wine.
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1/1/2010 - bon vivant wrote:
New year's eve & day; 12/31/2009-1/1/2010: From 375: the darker in color ( vs 1990) this had a captivating nose which just burst with botrytis spice, caramel, ripe pineapple and some bananas. This is the richer wine of the two and drinks very well right now. orange peel secondary flavors came into play. The finish here is not as persistent and while this is a hedonistic pleasure bomb it does not posses the finesse of it's younger sibling. Still tonight this gives more.
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12/24/2009 - Wintervest wrote: 99 Points
1989 Yquem - Christmas Eve dinner with family. Extraordinary. Rich botrytis notes, honey and apricots with a hint of sweet lavendar. Worth the 15+ year wait! Rich, complex, deep fruit with solid balancing acidity. In no manner cloying nor "green" from excessive acid... Drink now thru 2020. By the fire with equally nice cheeses, made for a perfect ending to a memorable dinner.
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10/28/2009 - JJL wrote: 96 Points
Brought to Acker auction at Cru - this required about 6 hours to open up, but when it finally did, it was very enjoyable. Beautiful and floral nose. Apricot, caramel, chocolate on the palate. I would give the '90 a slight edge over the '89.
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10/2/2009 - MauriceE wrote: 99 Points
Yquem "great years" tasting (Seinpost (Scheveningen, The Netherlands)): A beautiful wine, but just (and only just) behind the greatest vintages in an impressive line-up of d'Yquem: 55, 67, 71, 75, 76, 86, 88, 89, 90, 97, 99, 01. My favorites are 01 - 67 - 88. 1989 (and 1990) are very close on their heels.
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10/2/2009 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 100 Points
1989 Château d'Yquem (Frankrijk, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes) Kleur: Oranjebruin Aroma / bouquet: In het begin subtiel, maar al heel snel verleidelijk en zwoel. Uitgesproken Botrytistonen in combinatie met honing, rozijnen, kaneel, mandarijntjes en overrijpe ananas. Smaak / Afdronk: Vol en rijk, naast het weelderig zoet een prachtige balans, aangebracht door frisse zuren en een sinaasappelbittertje. Wat een concentratie en wat een lengte… Wat mij betreft iets subtieler en verfijnder dan de 88'er. Algemeen / potentieel: Wat mij betreft één van de toppers tijdens de proeverij van de jaren 67, 71, 75, 76, 86, 88, 89, 90, 97, 99, 01 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 100/100
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9/25/2009 - wino_tim wrote: 96 Points
Deeply colored - a somewhat surprising shade of deep yellow or light orange - this offered a simply stunning vein of freshness that ran through its seemingly endless medley of sugared melon, toffee, burnt sugar, dried fig and spice aromas. Mouthfilling, syrupy and rich on the palate, offering impeccable balance between sugar and acidity, with long-lasting creme caramel and botrytis spice flavors.
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9/24/2009 - salil wrote: 97 Points
Older Bordeaux at Troquet (Boston, MA): Mindblowing stuff, with so many layers of flavours ranging from ripe tropical fruits and honey to vanilla cream and floral elements that it's impossible to describe adequately. There's tremendous power and depth here - yet it feels incredibly light and elegant on its feet with perfect balance despite the sheer richness and viscosity of the wine and an incredibly long finish.
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7/25/2009 - zimmy07 wrote:
Phil's B-Day; 7/23/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicago): vanilla, citrus and creme brulee like character. Not overly sweet, but absolutely perfect balance and sweetness. Juts an amazing wine, had a super long lasting aftertaste that was so seductive and yet restrained.
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7/25/2009 - beezer6 wrote: 96 Points
Phil's MONUMENTAL 33rd Birthday Wine Tasting (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Medium deep golden color.
Nose of spicy cider, petrol, burnt caramel and heavily roasted nuts.
Yellow apples, pear doused with honey and charred vanilla.
Pure long finish with moderate high well focused acidity and awesome minerality and length.
Fantastic d'Yquem with awesome power and finesse.
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7/25/2009 - MatthewF wrote:
A Weekend of Excess; 7/24/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicago/Northbrook, IL): Golden color. Slightly baked tropical fruit nose with ripe stone fruit as well - ripe yellow peach and apricot. Vanilla bean creme brulee and honeysuckle. Super rich on the palate with baked pineapple and ripe apricot and honeyed lemon custard. Fantastic length with beautiful acidity. Absolutely outstanding.
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7/25/2009 - psmith wrote:
Birthday Weekend; 7/23/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicagoland): A bit cidery on the nose. Tropical fruits. Gummy, cotton candy like flavors/texture. Creme brulee notes. Big d'Yquem. Round, firm. Very nice.
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7/15/2009 - mnh wrote:
Outstanding
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6/18/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Rich, filled with honey covered tropical fruit and acidity to give it lift should deliver pleasure for decades.
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4/15/2009 - Franz M wrote: 93 Points
I tasted an 1989 yquem at Boudinc Blanc in London. I was expecting the absolute best for such as good year. It was great but not outstanding. We tried this 89 as a dessert wine, right after a rich meal. At first I found the amber liquid looked like it lacked orginality(what was i expecting?). The smell was superb, sharp. The attack was strong and the texture unbelievably velvetty. I found the aromas a bit too "classic" maybe. Apricots, almonds, honey...Like a good Sauternes in fact. But nothing truly exceptional. The finish was very long, but it felt like a heavy wine. I would certainly not recommend it as a dessert wine and would not forget next time to have it opened a good few hours before tasting it (as opposed to 45 minutes in that case)
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3/17/2009 - ideliver2 wrote: 96 Points
Half bottle opened on its 20th anniversary. Nice golden color,legs for days, Beautiful ethereal nose mixed with dried fruit and hints of smoke. Hints of almond and sherry on the taste buds. Sip this baby...
Perfectly balanced with a good finish. Will last for years....
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2/28/2009 - noppakit s. wrote: 97 Points
Oh well, finally I can make it. Between top 3 vintages 1988, 1989 and 1990. I love 1988 because 1990 is too heavy, too hot vintage for me. 98/100
But 1989, it starts with the elegant Yquem nose, dramatic sweet honey, hints of some flowers, clean and fresh. The texture is so silky beautiful at the first sip, very lovely delicious. Nice finished.
Then we go for Lafite 83, Margaux 83 and Latour 61 for 3 hours. When we come back to Yquem 89, the scent is the same but the texture....Oh Wowww....
Super dense and concentrate...most beautiful concentrate indeed...reminds me of the texture of Screaming Eagle 2003...perfect balance, silky dense texture...full score in this part...all of us can not control our feeling when moving the wine go around in the mouth...umm....umm.....umm.....I never feel like this before with Yquem.
The aftertaste is just very good but not so long in finished. If 1989 has the 1988's finished, it must be one of the most greatest d'Yquem ever made.
Drink now - 2045........................97++/100............................
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2/7/2009 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 95 Points
1989 d'Yquem (Frankrijk, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes) Kleur: Bleek goudgeel. Aroma / bouquet: Uitgesproken, notig, honing, vleugje sherry, rozijnen, caramel, mint. Boenwas. Smaak / Afdronk: Prachtg vol, zuren mooi in evenwicht met het zoet, indrukken van rozijnen, overrijpe ananas. Opvallende mint'achtige frisheid. Algemeen / potentieel: Geweldige wijn! Rijp en rijk. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 95/100
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12/18/2008 - MauriceE wrote: flawed
Although only very slightly corked, it was enough to spoil the magic this wine usually excites. Alas, alas...
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10/22/2008 - Rosengoo Likes this wine:
Tasted at the Vintages auction gala tasting. Tonight, this wine was just amazing all around. That's all there is to say on it.
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10/2/2008 - Johann Von Mastiff wrote: 96 Points
From a half bottle. The color is getting a great shade of gold. Beautliful aromtics of golden raisins and dried apricot. Very lush fruit with enough acidity to keep it all together.
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4/6/2008 - Mike Toast wrote: 95 Points
Just great, classic Yquem. SO much upside potl but drinking nicely now.
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3/15/2008 - biggles wrote: 90 Points
Half bottle. Deep straw, lots of legs. Intense fruit and alcohol with just a hint of barley sugar. Long fruit not quite together. Conclude needs longer.
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2/15/2008 - Rosengoo Likes this wine:
Tasted February 15,2008 at Lake Louise Post Hotel Yquem tasting. This wine which has 13.2% alcohol was produced during a very dry summer. 25% of the total crop was lost due to hail. It is a wonderful wine with a sweet bouquet and a great taste. The colour is starting to change to a deeper gold. It has 127 grams of sugar with a 4.0 acidity. One of my favourites of the night.
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12/30/2007 - MauriceE wrote: 100 Points
Drunk on the birthday of my wife from a demi-bottle, this wine is almost beyond description. Extremely rich yellow fruit in the nose (notably apricot), dense, rich and voluptuous. Tasting this wine is pure delight, and in complete harmony with the smell of the wine. Although very strong, this wine has perfect balance: the sweetness and strength are never too much. The finish lasts minutes. This is without any doubt amongst the best wines I ever had.
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12/30/2007 - BradE wrote:
Consistant with prior experience. This is a good yquem, but for my palate, not on the same level as its companion years (86,88,90).
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12/26/2007 - Scheper wrote: 96 Points
A real sniffer!! Great nose the entry has fresh, almost tickling fruit. Very nice, long and smoky finish. In between a great battle between the sugars and the acids….. great!
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12/4/2007 - CamWheeler wrote: 91 Points
SLDS Icons (Tetsuya's, Sydney, Australia): I had high expectations for this. The nose was reticent and it took close examination to find mandarin, brown sugar and honey. The palate was elegant and balanced but the depth and interest were not there to see. Still very good, but just seemed a little bit off-key this evening.
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9/28/2007 - gorm wrote: 93 Points
Uncorked DK tasting: 1989/1990 Bordeaux (Kenneth): Dark yellow with a brownish glow. Nose is intense with some glue, dried flowers, orange and nuts. Tastes very well and is very pleasing, but the alcohol showed a bit too much in the aftertaste. Somehow I didn't really find this to be a classic Yquem - where were the coconut, the marzipan and the fat? (Other participants believed that they could find these qualities, maybe I was just getting tired...)
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7/4/2007 - BradE wrote:
Great bottle. A bit thicker and richer than its siblings (86,88,90), but also slightly less sophisticated. Great for current drinking.
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5/29/2007 - mnh wrote:
Excellent
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5/8/2007 - Siggy wrote:
2007 France Trip - Les Gouberts, Clos des Cazaux (Southern Rhone): From half bottle. Beautiful deep amber. Honey, rich caramel, nuts, orange liquor/marmalade. Delicious, floral, and gorgeously concentrated. The foie gras took this already amazing wine to an entirely new level. Wow!
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2/3/2007 - Wine Bill wrote: 97 Points
Y2 day in the Librije, Zwolle, Netherlands. (Yquem tasting) (De Librije, Zwolle, Netherlands.): Golden. Pure honey. A lot of sweetness and acidity, but in perfect harmony. This wine is so beautiful right now!
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10/27/2006 - Thilo wrote: 96 Points
Color is deep gold with a touch of amber. On the nose, honey, apricot, white flowers, and spices mingle in a beautiful symphony. The palate comes across as dense and flavor-packed, but manages to dance anyway. Thick flavors of spiced apricot, honey, botrytits, and smoke mingle with a nice line of acidity that keep the wine distinctly alive. A beautiful Sauternes...thanks to Jim Stone for opening this beauty.
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10/11/2006 - beachbum wrote: 96 Points
Tasted along side the 86 and 83. This was clearly the biggest fatest baddest ass bottle of d'Y I have ever experienced. It had a huge sappy nose of tropical fruit, the wine was massively unctous on the palatte and the finsh was long. This wine is no ballet dancer, it is a street thug wanting a brawl. There was excelent candied carmel fruit that danced across your taste buds, a very open bottle (mag actually) that will be great with food, and will outlast me for sure. But the sheer size and clumsyness takes away from the much more precise 83 that I would much prefer drinking over the next 75 years. My money is on this one to have the longest tasting window. Ever so slightly cloying.
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9/22/2006 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
Dinner Party at Home w/ Pinots & d'Yquem (Milford): A bit fatter than the 88 and 90, but not as fat as I was expecting. Very open and giving. A wonderful showing.
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8/27/2006 - KenK wrote: 95 Points
Chicago's Best Bordeaux Tasting Ever? (Ken's Home): Creme Brulee nose with peach and butterscotch.
Soft and rich in the mouth, but light at the same time. Pinapples, peach, carmel, and cream.
Nuanced wine. Very enjoyable, but not quite proufound.
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2/25/2006 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Honeyed apricots, flowers, vanilla, oak aromas were easy to catch. Very rich and fat on the palate. Beautiful, seamless finish.
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2/16/2006 - Eric wrote:
Leve does 1989 Bordeaux at Mélisse (Los Angeles, CA): This had fairly deep color, but what is not to like about such an ethereal wine that was matched perfectly with a fantastic seared foie gras dish? There is a hint of seawater on the nose, ripe botrytis, just exploding from the glass. The weight on the palate is absolutely fantastic, unctuous, huge viscosity in the mouth. Wonderfully balanced. I put my pen down for this one and just enjoyed.
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11/7/2005 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 98 Points
Roy Hersh Offline (St. John, London): Glorious marmalade / light amber, great depth, a backing of spicy oak but layered in front is toffee, caramelised orange, roast pineapple and buttermilk. Fascinating wine, still a bracing acid backbone, a lifetime to live still. I like this more than the 1988 tried on two occasions.
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10/26/2005 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 96 Points
My dessert came from a 375ml bottle, nose of jasmine, honey, butterscotch, marmalade, pear juice, and melon, more of the same on the palate, big body, very tasty, rich, lovely, mouth filling, terrific tasting, and a long, long, lovely finish and terrific aftertaste.
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10/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
Golden yelow color. Shy aroma of round yellow fruit. Lovely concentrated caramel yellow fruit with clear sweetness. Nice. 10/05
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5/8/2005 - Mattswines wrote: 95 Points
Drank following '99 Marcassin Blue Slide at Philips Chophouse. Paired with Bananas foster and orange creme bulee. Wonderful nose with hints of apricot, carmel, and honey. More of the same on the palate with very good acidity. Not as much of a brute as the '90 Yquem. More soft, but not neccessarily more elegant. Surprisingly, paired VERY well with Romeo y Julieta cigar. Used the last 1/3 of 750ml bottle for this with the wife. Wonderful wine that is just beginning to lose its baby fat and become a more "aged" sauternes. If you like them young and fun.. drink now.. otherwise a few more years is in order.
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5/3/2005 - CSteefel wrote: 95 Points
1982-83-89 Bordeaux at Masa's in San Francisco: Dark caramel colored, this wine is off the charts right out of the glass, with peach and apricot dominating the nose. In the mouth, incredibly fat, rich and sweet, with great balance of its flavors. The only possible criticism might be its lack of delicacy and finesse compared to the '88, with the botrytis character swamped by the sweet gobs of fruit. But this wasn't what this wine was made for.
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5/3/2005 - cassetta wrote: 95 Points
From 375’s. Dark gold. Sweet nose of honeysuckle, apricots and slight botrytis. Rich and sweet, with more acidity than I expected based on the color and the nose. Smooth loooonngg finish. Very approachable but should continue to develop for another 10 years.
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4/29/2005 - Will wrote:
There was some disagreement in the group about this bottle because some people argued that it might be tainted since it was not showing the kind of power regularly exhibited by this wine. To me it was really charming, literally melting (vaporizing?) in my mouth. It was getting better and better with time. I was maybe not as impressed as I expected to be but this was pretty good for a first encounter.
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2/9/2005 - IanL wrote: 96 Points
Tasted blind. Deep yellow-amber colour. Quite pure and restrained on the nose, definitely not a one-dimensional botrytis monster. Perfectly balanced wine, great acidity and lift, and a long waxy finish of apricots and candied fruits. Wonderful.
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12/31/2004 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 97 Points
Opened a 375ml bottle to enjoy tonight, nose of caramel, honey, marmalade, with a fragrant rose bouquet that stayed throughout the night, more of the same on the palate, big body, very tasty, mouth filling, rich but not to rich, elegant, sip and savor wine, paired with mincemeat pie, delicious, and a long, long, finish and aftertaste.
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10/8/2004 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Yquem has a unique style that’s not duplicated. Ripe, honeyed pineapple, peach, nectarine, apricot and orange flowers fill the perfume. Rich, concentrated but with enough acidity toe keep it fresh. The long, honey drenched finish is a pleasure and treat.
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8/30/2004 - Winetex wrote: 98 Points
All that is good in wine. Honey and apricots and a beautiful texture. I hear music when I drink something like this. [Opened at Pinot Brasserie, Las Vegas, 8/28/04. Served with seared foie gras.] **note added that this was my Wine of the Year in 2004**
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5/19/2004 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 96 Points
Medium yellow colour. Huge bouquet with ink and paint notes, mixed with scents of prunes and figs. Big and oily with stupendous power, delicious flavours of abricot, retaining good freshness and without any cloying, this wine had a one minute finish with great balance and harmony. LOVED IT.
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12/26/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 96 Points
Dark yellow. Classic scents of abricot. Oily, fat and flowy. Good, fresh acidity keeps things in check. There’s excellent complexity, glorious harmony, and a crisp almost steely elegance. Wonderfully mouth-coatingly sweet and long on the aftertaste.
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5/28/2003 - mnh wrote:
Beatiful, youthful, nice botyritis.
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3/8/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 95 Points
Dark yellow in the glass. Notes of apple peel and also cerazine gas. Soft and round and seemingly quite "warm". Definitely not as structured as the first three examples, but certainly not a slouch either. A superb glass of Sauternes, and although the score is high, this was clearly out-distanced by the other 3 Yquems.
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4/1/2002 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 95 Points
Golden yellow. Lots of plums on the nose. Wow, this is really packed with finesse and a beautiful harmony. It's not grossly sweet, but elegant. Delicious.
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12/17/2000 - Henman wrote:
Light citrussy nose.Honey and citrussy fruit on rather balanced palate.
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2/20/2000 - chevalblanc1959 wrote: 98 Points
Deep yellow-gold, an explosion of apricot, crème brulée, honey, an immense wine, rich, opulent, decadent, stunning, lingers forever on the palate.
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3/27/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 97 Points
Dinner @ Jeff S: Tasted from half bottle. Medium to dark yellow color. Big, explosive nose of honey and apricots. Wonderfully, elegant and powerful on the palate. Not overly sweet, perhaps this impression results from the very nice complementing acidity. Lingering finish. Very forward and flamboyant.
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8/29/1998 - MikeATL wrote:
Dessert Wine Extravaganza: Fatter and more floral than the '88, but with similar viscosity and honeyed complexity. I prefer the better balanced '88, but it is a very good wine indeed.
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