And the king of these dessert wines is Chateau d'Yquem.
Up until a month or so ago, I never tasted a Yquem. I've owned a bottle, a 750ml bottle, for about 15 years, but could just not find the right occasion to open it. So this year, my wife Judy had one of those "milestone" birthdays that we all dread. I believe it was her 40th. "That's it", I thought. "Her birthday party - that's when this baby gets popped".
So, I plan a surprise party at Balabans with about 20 of our closest friends. The food was amazing, the wines were perfect, and at the end of the night the Yquem was opened.
I waited a while to write this so I could come up with the right words to describe this experience that I so vividly remember.
But, for the first time in my wine loving life - I just can't do it.
So, here's what Robert Parker said in April 1999:
1990 Chateau d'Yquem - 99 out of 100 points from Robert Parker
An extraordinary effort, Yquem's 1990 is a rich and fabulously superb, sweet wine. This wine also possesses lots of elegance and finesse. The wine's medium gold color is accompanied by an exceptionally sweet nose of honeyed tropical fruits, peaches, coconut, and apricots. High quality, subtle toasty oak is well-integrated. The wine is massive on the palate, with layers of intensely ripe botrytis-tinged, exceptionally sweet fruit. Surprisingly well-integrated acidity, and a seamless, full-bodied power and richness have created a wine of remarkable harmony and purity. Certainly it is one of the richest Yquems I have ever tasted, with 50-100 years of potential longevity. An awesome Yquem! Anticipated maturity: 2003-2050+.
Tom
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| Cory and Stan. Two of my goofy friends at the party. |
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