1996 Chateau d’Yquem Premier Cru Superieur, Sauternes 1x750ml

Robert Parker 95

Tasted single blind at Farr’s 2005 dinner in Hong Kong. It is a while since I last tasted this vintage. Like before, the nose is tightly coiled and demands coaxing from the glass, but eventually it yields and offers a lovely bouquet of wild honey, honeysuckle, lemon curd and barleysugar. The palate is more tensile then I remember on the entry, with a keen thread of acidity and notes of mandarin, Seville orange, tinned apricot and honey, hints of almond sprinkled over the finish. It does not quite have the complexity of a top flight Yquem, but it is still a great Sauternes for long-term consideration. Tasted November 2011. [Neal Martin, 11/01/2011]