1995 Chateau d'Yquem, Sauternes, Bottle (750ml) [slightly soiled label]

LP97 The 1995 d'Yquem is pale amber in color. Notes of ginger ale, allspice, chamomile tea, and dried mango drift effortlessly from the glass, followed by nuances of honeycomb, toasted almonds, and stewed tea. The palate is rich and powerful yet with amazing tension from the invigorating backbone of acidity, lending wonderful lift and energy through the long ginger and lemongrass-laced finish. Yum! The blend is 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc with 137 g/l residual sugar.

VM96 This might be the best bottle of 1995 Yquem that I have encountered. This bottle is perhaps slightly less deep in colour than the one tasted three years earlier. The bouquet is divine: marmalade, orane pith, tangerine, saffron and here, the lightest of adhesive notes. Wonderful delineation. The palate is very complex and exquisitely defined, still a precocious Yquem, though less reserved on the back end with mandarin, quince and dried honey. This is drinking beautifully right now. Tasted at the château.

JD96 Tasted from a half bottle, the 1995 Château D'Yquem is clearly mature yet, like just about every vintage from this heralded château, has decades ahead of it. Caramelized orange, toffee, apricot jam, and exotic floral, spicy notes all define this medium to full-bodied, rich, layered Yquem. It has nicely integrated acidity, beautifully balanced sweetness, and a gorgeous finish. It doesn't hit the heights of some of the all-time greats, but it's a quintessential, beautifully mature example of Yquem that's such a joy to drink.