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Yquem 1986

Sauternes/Barsac, First Growth

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Units Size Case size GBP Price: Quantities Buy
12 75cl Bottle Case 12 £3,300 per Case Case [Add to shopping basket]
Tasting Notes

97 RS 14% TA 4.2. Very late picking - the last two weeks of Sep was a strong botrytis infection. Picking started with four waves - Indian summer. Mid gold/copper. Very rich and heavy - but some quite burnt qualities. Long. A bit of astringency. Round and mellow. Not quite together but the acidity is good.

Score: 17 - 18

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2000-2020 13 February 2008

There is no other wine in the world like it, and there is no other luxury wine that can possibly justify its price as much as Yquem. The remarkable amount of painstaking labor necessary to produce the nectar known as Yquem is almost impossible to comprehend. This is a fascinating effort. With greater evidence of botrytis than the colossal 1983, but less power and alcohol, the 1986 Yquem tastes reminiscent of the 1975, only more precocious, as well as more concentrated. Several highly respected Bordeaux negociants who are Yquem enthusiasts claim the 1986 Yquem is the greatest wine produced at the property since the legendary 1937. Its enthralling bouquet of pineapples, sauteed hazelnuts, vanillin, and ripe apricots is breathtaking. Compellingly concentrated, the breadth as well as depth of flavor seemingly know no limits. This full-bodied, powerful, yet impeccably balanced Yquem should provide memorable drinking for 40-55 more years. Like the 1983, this is another winemaking tour de force.

Score: 98

Robert Parker, 'Bordeaux' 3rd Ed. Maturity: 2000-2040 01 January 1998

With greater evidence of botrytis than the colossal 1983, but less power and alcohol, the 1986 d'Yquem tastes reminiscent of the 1975, only more precocious. Several highly respected Bordeaux negociants who are d'Yquem enthusiasts had claimed the 1986 d'Yquem was the greatest wine produced at the property since the legendary 1937. However, after the release of the 1988 they concluded that the 1988 surpassed even the 1986. The 1986's enthralling bouquet of pineapples, sauteed hazelnuts, vanillin, and ripe apricots is breathtaking. Compellingly concentrated, its breadth as well as depth of flavor seemingly know no limits. This full-bodied, powerful, yet impeccably elegant d'Yquem should provide memorable drinking for 40-55 more years.

Score: 98

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2000-2040 01 August 1993