1998 Château d'Yquem - Sauternes 1er Cru Supérieur - 2 Half Bottles (0.375L)

Robert Parker WA : 95/100

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

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

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

Château d’Yquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur Classé property in Sauternes, widely regarded as the greatest producer of sweet wine in the region. The wine is a blend of botrytised Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes that are painstakingly hand-harvested, berry by berry. The 1998 is perhaps less intensely sweet, rich and powerful as other vintages, but it is superbly crafted and elegant, making itself wonderfully approachable in youth where others might still require further cellaring.

The weather was not very sunny, but especially warm, with drought conditions and a heat wave that brought on early bud break. Rain in the first two weeks of September gave rise to botrtyis in grapes that became concentrated thanks to easterly winds. Showers nevertheless interrupted picking for an entire month. The second pass was as plentiful as the first. 1998 Yquem is very seductive and it is said that it is two vintages in one

Wine has been stored in cellar / cabinet at around 12-14 C since being bought.