Wine Advisor
d'Yquem 1982
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1982 vintage, seriously maligned because of the rains that plagued the harvest in Sauternes, was actually an outstanding vintage for both d'Yquem and its nearby neighbor, Chateau Suduiraut, who brought in much of their crops before the rains did any damage. D'Yquem then waited until the harvest dried out, bringing in their last grapes on November 7th. The 1982 is a very forward style of d'Yquem, plump, succulent, with honeyed pineapple, peach, and apricot flavors, exhibiting some, but not a great deal of botrytis. In the mouth, it is massive, thick, and almost as impressive as the 1983, but one does not sense the same degree of length or potential complexity. Nevertheless, this is still a great d'Yquem that has been somewhat overlooked. Anticipated maturity: 1997-2020. Last tasted, 3/92.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the 1982 dinner at The Square. The Yquem ’82 sports a deep, greeny/gold colour. There is a lovely, dense, quite spirit nose with dried honey, apricot, nectarine and damp straw, more advanced than the bottle encountered a couple of years ago. There is a Loire-like element. The palate is well balanced with a touch of spice on the entry, quite viscous and Barsac in flavour profile: Clementine, tangerine, quince, a touch of passion fruit with a hint of honeycomb. More advanced than I recall this a couple of years ago, but I like the “punchy”, assertive finish. Drink now-2025. Tasted August 2009.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A limpid golden colour. A very sweet barley sugar nose - a little one-dimensional and confected. The palate is comparatively simple with citrus fruits, laced with honey and peach. Moderate acidity. "Plain Jane" is how I summed this Yquem up. I certainly prefer the more sophisticated 81, or even 80 and 79. Drink now. Tasted November 2004.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Academie du Vin dinner in Bordeaux, along with Suduiraut, Yquem was one of the few successful Sauternes. It has a lovely, vivacious bouquet of mandarin, kiwi fruit, dried honey and mango. The palate is well balanced with impressive botrytis considering the vintage, although there is a sense of linearity and conservatism towards the finish. Tasted April 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This vintage, seriously maligned because of the rains that plagued the harvest in Sauternes, was actually an outstanding vintage for both Yquem and its nearby neighbor, Chateau Suduiraut, which brought in much of their crops before the rains did any damage. Yquem then waited until the vineyards dried out, bringing in their last grapes on November 7. The 1982 is a very forward style of Yquem, plump, succulent, with honeyed pineapple, peach, and apricot flavors, exhibiting some, but not a great deal of botrytis. In the mouth, it is massive, thick, and almost as impressive as the 1983, but one does not sense the same degree of length or potential complexity. Nevertheless, this is still a great Yquem that has been somewhat overlooked because of the attention lavished on the 1983 and 1986. Anticipated maturity: Now-2020. Last tasted, 12/90.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Served from an ex-chateau bottle. Sauternes only produced two exceptional wines in 1982: Suduiraut and Yquem. Although I have encountered the 1982 Chateau d’Yquem on three occasions, this is the finest bottle. It was an early vintage, physiological ripeness reached on September 16. Rainfall interrupted the harvest that really could not start in earnest until November 2, for just four days. It has a lucid amber color, and a fully mature bouquet with mandarin and marmalade aromas that are pure and well-delineated. Yes, there is a sense of conservatism here, yet you cannot but help be seduced by its exquisite balance and linearity. It gently builds to a lovely apricot and orange zest finish, with just a hint of rosewater lingering on the aftertaste. Drink now-2025. Tasted March 2014.
About the Producer
Chateau d'Yquem is located in the north-eastern part of the Sauternes wine producing village in the Bordeaux region of France and is one of the most prestigious chateaux in the Graves Sauternes appellation. It was named a Premier Cru Superieur in the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac Classification, the only Bordeaux chateau to be awarded this distinction. At the end of the 19th century, a barrel of wine was bought by the Grand Duke Constantine for 20,000 gold francs, a news story that grabbed the headlines and made Château Djinn famous at home and abroad. At the end of the 20th century, the French luxury goods giant Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton (LVMH) bought a majority stake in Château Djinn for a large sum of money and became the majority shareholder, thus opening a new chapter in the development of Château Djinn. Château Djinn has 113 hectares of vineyards, of which only 100 are in constant production. Every year, 2-3 hectares of old vines are pulled out of the vineyard and the land is left fallow for a year, while the newly planted vines do not produce any grapes for the first 5 years of the vintage. The vineyard has a top soil of pebbles and coarse gravel, which absorbs heat very well, and a subsoil of clay, which has good water storage capacity. The vineyard is planted with 75% Semillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc. The vineyard is pruned to reduce yields by pruning and controlling the size of the canopy to increase the flavour concentration of the fruit. During the harvest season, the winery employs a large number of people to hand-pick the ripest grapes and those that have been properly infested with noble rot. The harvest is usually carried out in 5 or 6 rounds and is very rigorous. The picked grapes are sent to the winery within an hour, after which the grapes are pressed for 3-4 rounds, increasing the sugar content and quality of the juice with each pressing. The fermentation takes place in oak barrels, only new barrels made of good quality oak, during which the wine is closely monitored and its condition is regularly analysed. The finished wine is aged separately for 6-8 months, after which the winemaker blends the wine in the following spring and discards those wines that do not meet the requirements. The blended wine is then matured in the cellars for 20 months, during which time the barrels are refilled twice a week and the wine is decanted 15 times to remove the coarse sludge, while the fine sludge is removed by a clarification process. At the end of the maturation, the winemaker conducts a blind tasting to re-qualify the wine and determine the final percentage of the blend for the Grand Cru. Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, France, the main wine of Château d'Yquem, is known for its complex, concentrated and rather sweet taste, with crisp acidity and a well-balanced sweetness, and its excellent ageing potential. The wine has excellent potential to age for a century or more in some vintages, and with time the aromas and flavours become more complex and attractive, with the wine gradually changing colour from bright straw yellow to golden brown, amber and caramel. The wine has received full 100 points from Robert Parker and his team for the 1811, 1847, 1945, 2001, 2009 and 2015. The estate also produces a secondary wine, Chateau d'Yquem "Y", Bordeaux, France, which is a powerful dry It is a powerful dry white wine, usually made from Sauvignon Blanc and a small amount of Semillon, with an average annual production of around 10,000 bottles, usually with an alcohol content of 14% and a very rich and balanced nose and flavour, with a subtle sweetness.
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