Château d'Yquem - Sauternes 1988 (750ml)
Price: $525.00
| Producer | Château d'Yquem |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | Sauternes |
| Varietal | Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle |
| Vintage | 1988 |
| Sku | 7537 |
| Size | 750ml |
Wine Advocate: 96 Points
The 1988 Chateau d'Yquem has long been an insider's favorite over the 1989 and 1990 although at the end of the day all three form a brilliant triumvirate at the end of the decade. Tasted from a half bottle it shone with a slightly burnished amber hue. The bouquet is just as I have encountered with previous bottles with scents of marmalade mandarin burnt honey and citrus fruit perhaps a little waxier and resinous than I recall. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive weight viscous as you would expect though not as flamboyant as the 1989 or as unctuous as the 1990. It is beautifully balanced with notes of apricot white chocolate and orange peel towards the harmonious and tensile finish. You can see this cruising along for two or three decades and maybe it will turn more Barsac-like in style? Time will tell - a glorious Yquem however you look at it. Tasted May 2016. Published: Jun 29 2016
Vinous: 96 Points
The 1988 d'Yquem is almost identical to the bottle I tasted in 2016. This is almost Barsac-like in style on the nose with scents of barley sugar complemented by marmalade and mandarin fresh and vibrant with a palpable sense of energy. The palate is medium-bodied with a viscous texture but it is not and has never been as unctuous as either the 1989 or 1990. However what the 1988 does possess is a surfeit of vitality and tension. There are layers of blood orange quince and marmalade towards the finish that as the aromatics suggest comes across as quite Barsac in style. Superb. Tasted at Château Batailley.
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