Chateau d'Yquem, 1998 Sweet Wine
Sauternes 1er Cru Classe
Half bottle 37.5cl
Bottle size: 37.5cl
ABV: 14%
Price:
$252.40 USD
Out of stock
Description
‘A beautiful, slightly golden yellow, this wine is still very young to express much on the initial nose. After swirling, and even more so after a few minutes in the glass, there come scents of citrus, raisins and also more floral aromas with delicate lime flower. These are still early days and time is needed for these impressions to develop. In the mouth the great quality and potential are obvious. The attack is round, and the volume quickly fills the whole mouth. What sweetness and what pleasure - with just enough acidity. Flavours of mandarin, apricot, fruit paste, then the vanillary, lightly grilled notes associated with the long élevage in barrel. The roundness and amplitude continue, and there is great length and persistence of all these successive sensations.’
Reviews for Chateau Yquem 1996
The '98 d'Yquem has a more extravagant nose than I remember, less mineralite than it displayed in its youth and perhaps a little more alcoholic on the nose. There are touches of pineapple, mango, treacle and custard cremes, becoming peachier with time in the glass. The palate is viscous on the entry and very well balanced with honeycomb, white peach, apricot and wild honey that leads to a powerful, if not elegant finish. The '98 is a little "unruly" at present. Drink 2016-2030. Tasted December 2010.
Score: 94 Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, September 2011
Chateau d`Yquem is often described as the greatest sweet wine in the world. After centuries of family ownership, Yquem was finally sold in acrimonious circumstances to Louis Vuitton-Moët-Hennessy in 1999. However, its former owner and director Alexandre de Lur-Saluce remains in charge. Yquem is located on the highest hill in Sauternes and enjoys the best growing conditions in the whole appellation. The 110-hectare vineyard is planted with 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Only fully botrytized fruit is picked by the 150 highly skilled pickers and yields are so low that each vine produces only one glass of wine. Yquem is fermented in oak barrels (100% new) and is left in barriques to mature for up to 36 months. Intensely opulent when young, Yquem develops an extraordinary complexity and exotic richness when fully mature, with the best vintages lasting for over 50 years. Château d'Yquem is classified as a 1er Cru Classé supérieur.
Condition
Excellent