CHATEAU D'YQUEM 1er Cru Classe Superieur - Sauternes 1990 Bottle

Description

The 1990 Château d’Yquem exemplifies a classic, exceptional vintage, crafted from a season of dry, warm winds balanced by late-season rain that fostered ideal botrytis development. With a deep golden hue, it opens with opulent aromas of dried apricots, toffee, candied walnuts, sandalwood, mandarin peel, lemongrass, and fallen leaves. On the palate, it exhibits remarkable concentration and tension, with a dry yet vibrant profile, finishing long with honey, nut, and earthy nuances. With just 12.7% alcohol and balanced residual sugar, it’s a brilliantly poised wine with exceptional longevity ideal to enjoy now or cellar for 25+ years. Critics laud it highly: Decanter scores it 98 points for its exuberance and complexity, while Vinous awards it 94+, noting its layered richness, extraordinary sweetness, and impressive finish. A true age-worthy masterpiece.

*****

THE WINE ADVOCATE 98 points
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Drink Date: 2019 - 2044
"A warm to hot vintage ideal for producing outstanding reds does not necessarily make for a great Sauternes vintage, but in the case of 1990 it did. Dry, warm winds in the autumn contributed to the level of concentration that this wine exhibits. Fortunately, a little rain in late September and early October ensured that botrytis flourished well in the end, the final factor necessary to achieve this extraordinary expression.

Medium to deep golden colored, the 1990 d'Yquem opens with unabashed opulence, giving expressive notes of dried apricots, toffee, candied walnut, tree bark and sandalwood with nuances of preserved mandarin peel, lemongrass and fallen leaves. The palate is entering that stage where it still has bags of fruit and yet appears quite dry, with a lively line contributing jaw-dropping tension and finishing with epically long-lingering honey nut and earth-inspired notes. Pure. Hedonism. The multilayered intensity perhaps makes this appear a much bigger, sweeter Yquem than it is, and yet it possesses a relatively modest 12.7% alcohol and 126 grams per liter of residual sugar with 3.9 grams per liter of total acidity (H2SO4). Well into its ideal drinking window, there is no real rush to drink this beauty, as it should remain suspended at the heavenly plateau for another 25+ years."

DECANTER 98 points
"Hard to contain this wine within the contours of the glass - this is exuberant, concentrated and luscious. Full of blood orange, nectarine, saffron, touches of caramelised ginger, truffle and crème brûlée. A see-saw of zesty acidity and luscious sweetness, this is a beautiful wine that still has decades ahead of it. Owned by the Lur Saluces family at the time, clearly showing why Yquem stands in its own category in the appellation." - Jane Anson (at Bordeaux, 09 Feb 2021), Drinking Window: 2021 - 2050.

VINOUS 94+
From: Focus on Sauternes (Jul 1998)
Full-blown aromas of caramel, toffee, honey, white chocolate and damp earth; slightly Tokaj-like. Hugely concentrated and layered in the mouth; extraordinary sweetness cut by harmonious acidity. As with the best vintages of Yquem, the finish goes on for a minute or more. Stains, and stuns, the palate. A huge wine, surprisingly extravagant on the nose (earlier bottles have been far more restrained) but completely unevolved and a bit musclebound on the palate. May ultimately merit a higher score.