There is always a premium for prestigious wines. It’s how it is, and that premium seems to grow by the year. There are no guarantees, especially so with tree-bark involved, but it’s also a good (if unfortunately expensive) reminder that there is no league table of great wines.
So getting the last of the bottle today and things have changed. Now there is note of orange or tangerine skins flamed then twisted on a cocktail. Not at all like the first pours. More layers. More interesting. And I’m glad I tried it. It was a bucket list wine for me. And of course futures sales pitches have dropped in my mailbox about the new 100 point vintage.
Maybe if I tried a fresh one. Hmmmm…
Jamie Manley, who used to post frequently, is a huge fan of drinking Sauternes over an extended period, up to a week. I was skeptical but have been pleasantly surprised with the development of several bottles over 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
And yeah, go for that new stuff if you can rationalize the cost.
Sadly I don’t have much experience with Yquem but I have been to France/Paris many times and by far the best croissants I’ve ever had came not from Paris but from a small village in Provence. Croissants in the US, in my experience have only the shape in common with a croissant from France.
Yeah I seem to have a brain cramp every time I misspell it and I see the damn “i” that ain’t there!
Oh and I took a flyer on 1988 split of Climens at a third of the price for next year’s anniversary.
For young sauternes, I completely agree. I haven’t noticed as much of a difference when the sauternes are >15-20 years old though. They do change, but they also lose a bit of their freshness in the process, unless they are young.
For me the acid-sugar balance Jeff Leve talks about is huge. If the wine comes across as a mouthful of sugar, it’s boring to me and all the apricot and botrytis nuances are lost. Sauternes and Spatleses for me go through a dull sugary adolescence. And sometimes they just hit me wrong with that balance ratio. 1990 Yquem has been on different occasions sugary (boring), ethereally dancing, and a big 100 point bruiser. I might have had the same reaction as the OP if I had tasted his bottle with him on that day.
The older or more aired out the Sauternes, the more likely I’m going to like the acid-sugar balance in the mouth.
Older Sauternes always need decanting to me so tasting on the second or third day is a great object lesson. Patience will out for older wines. I, personally love the 1988 and find it to be one of the top years in quite a while. Have opened 3 splits of this over the last two years and pure silk, honey, and orange for me.
Diminishing return on investment certainly applies here. Climens, Suduiraut, and Guiraud are much less pricey and excellent Sauternes producers. There are a couple of half bottles on wine-searcher right now for just under $60:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/suduiraut/1988
Letting a nice bottle sit for 2 or 3 days after opening seems the right thing to do, and several have advised that here.
The 88 Climens is wonderful stuff too.