1986 Château d'Yquem

FRANCE / BORDEAUX / SAUTERNES
  • 83 WS
  • 18 JR
  • Variety
    White Bordeaux Blend
See all wines from Château d'Yquem

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SKU: 49137-1986

This item is available by the case only

Total:
$435.00

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  • Wine Spectator | Rating: 83

    From an outstanding year in Sauternes, this Yquem has some honey character but fails to take off. It's a bit flat on the nose, lacking in acidity, turns a little dry on finish.--Yquem vertical.
    Author: Per-Henrik Mansson

  • Jancis Robinson | Rating: 18

    Rich and sweet seeming. Waxy, rich and deep ' quite different from the Haut-Brion whites. Not heavy.
    Author: Jancis Robinson

  • Bordeaux Book(1998) | Rating: 98

    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. Last tasted, 4/91.
    Author: Robert Parker
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  • Self | Rating: 98

    Drink Dates: 2000-2040
    Author: JDF1960

  • Self | Rating: 98

    Author: Johnnymd

  • Self | Rating: 95

    Classic Yquem but with more finesse than power. Very concentrated, delicious with a long, long finish. This bottle was wonderful, but not as wonderful as the last.
    Drink Dates: 2009
    Author: Ricknat1

  • Self | Rating: 97

    Is this the best d'yquem? Probably not. Merely delicious. Not as unctuous as some but wonderfully smooth
    Author: Scooter

  • Self | Rating:

    Oxidized and flat - cork showed slight leakage but I'm surprised this bottle was dead given how slight the leakage was; not drinkable; NR
    Author: Daniel B

  • Self | Rating: 97

    Still young, but incredibly rich!
    Author: Stephen G41
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Chateau d'Yquem is world famous for its sweet wine, which commands some of the highest prices on the market. Established in 1593, the chateau is located in the Sauternes region of Bordeaux and is the only property given the highest rating of Premier Cru Superieur. The estate contains a 110-hectare vineyard planted with 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. The wines are created from botrytized fruit that is picked by hand in several passes by up to 150 harvesters. The "Noble Rot" (Botrytis Cinera) depletes the water content in the berry, concentrating the natural sugar levels. The resultant wine's high sugar content is matched by high level of acidity, allowing the wine to age for more than 50 years in the best vintages. The opulence of Yquem's youth turns complex, rich and honeyed as it ages. Chateau d'Yquem's second wine, Ygrec Y, is a dry Bordeaux Blanc.
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Located in the southwest of France, Bordeaux is the single largest fine-wine-producing region in the world, with more than 15,000 growers spread over 57 appellations and more than 700 million bottles produced annually. The region boasts a two-thousand-year winemaking history and some of the wine world's most recognized and highly sought-after names. Red Bordeaux blends comprise eighty percent of production, but dry and sweet whites are also well-known. The region is divided into the Left and Right Banks (of the Dordogne River); Cabernet Sauvignon prevails in the former and Merlot in the latter.
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White Bordeaux blends are most commonly composed of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, and come in a range of dry and sweet styles. Sémillon contributes body while Sauvignon Blanc adds high acidity, a characteristic that is particularly important in the sweet wines of Bordeaux.

Sauternes is one of the world’s most prestigious regions for sweet wine production, made possible by Sémillon’s affinity for noble rot. Wines from world-renowned Château d’Yquem are fermented and matured in new oak for up to three years and can age for decades in bottle. These wines display complex aromas of melon, honey, apricot, citrus peel, mango, and butterscotch and develop added complexity and aromas with age.

The best dry wines from this blend come from producers such as Château Haut-Brion, Château Pape Clément, and Domaine de Chevalier in Pessac-Léognan and Graves. These wines are typically fermented and matured in new oak and display a full-bodied richness with concentrated nutty flavors overlaying the fruit.

Due to its freshness and flavor profile, dry white Bordeaux blends pair well with almost any white food, including all types of fish, poultry, veal, and pork. The sweet wines of Bordeaux pair well with foie gras, oysters, blue cheese, spicy food (particularly Asian cuisines), any dish with sweet notes, and of course, dessert.
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Collector Data For This Wine

  • 1667 bottles owned
  • 313 collectors
  • Average collector rating: 97
    (Out of 313 collectors)