Wine Advisor
d'Yquem 1986
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Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Roberson’s Sauternes Tasting. The ’86 Yquem has brilliant delineation on the nose with honey, quince, white flowers, a touch of almond and orange peel that soars from the glass. The palate is beautifully balanced with superb weight and viscosity, immense precision with a vibrant, tense spicy finish and yet I cannot help noticing the smear of vanillary new oak that has not enmeshed itself into the wine as I thought it would. Tasted May 2011.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
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. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2040. Last tasted, 7/93.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Served lunching at The Ledbury in London. I used to prefer this to the 1990 although now I feel they are more on a level pegging. The bouquet has a riveting intensity to it with clear honey, fresh apricots, nectarine and a touch of barley sugar. Brilliant definition. The palate if fresh and beautifully poised with a citrus entry and a lingering viscous, botrytis-rich core of fruit. Just a hint of ginger and dried pineapple developing with time. Yet I temper my score a little because unlike other vintages, this vintage has a sense of linearity, does not burst into pyrotechnics on the finish like the 1989 or 1990. A lovely Yquem no doubt, one that should last decades, but I hope it develops just a little more character. Drink now-2050. Tasted March 2009.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A brilliant complex nose: ample botrytis, apricots and honey. An awesome balance - I prefer this to the Yquem '90. Such nervosity and concentration. Lots of marmalade and orange peel. Perhaps the best of the 1980's so far. Brilliant although it needs at least another twenty years. Tasted April 2001.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the 1982 dinner at The Square. The ’86 continues to cruise at high altitude, an effortless Yquem that if anything is improving at nigh 25-years of age. It has a glorious, pure, honeyed bouquet with patisserie notes, almond flakes and coconut. The palate is supremely well balanced with great weight and poise, the acidity dialled to perfect. It does not quite have the profundity on the finish to consider it on par with say, the 1989 or 2001. But it is drinking perfectly now and will continue to cruise for many years yet. Tasted April 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
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. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2040. Last tasted, 4/91.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted several times, the 1986 Yquem is a sublime expression of the vintage. It was the opposite of the previous year as it saw widespread botrytis after 40mm of rain in late October followed by a sunny November. It comes armed with an effervescent bouquet with pure honey, almond, quince and saffron, that patisserie scent observed in previous bottles less present. The palate is very well balanced with perhaps even sharper acidic "bite" than the '1983, fanning out wonderfully towards its crystalline finish that has a citric edge. A point. Tasted at a private dinner in London.
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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