Description
Parker: 96/100
Jeff Leve: 100/100
CellarTracker: 97/100
When to drink: 2014 to 2025
Gabriel:
| Drinking maturity | Drink |
|---|---|
| Valuation | 20/20 |
| In December 1999, at the end of an unforgettable Hirschen-Stamm meeting, we enjoyed a marvellous bottle from Franz Wermuth's cellar. We drank it without the "r" - in other words, without melancholy. Thank you Franz! But let's look back... 1989: Turkish honey mixed with nougat. High, fresh acidity packed with an intense botrytis note. Full-bodied, with balance at an extremely high level, fine deerskin tone in the mouth flavours, again nougat, almond biscuits, beautifully concentrated with apricot jam nuances. I liked it better than the 21 and the 67. The empty glass smelled of Malaysian curry the next day. The whole thing had been meticulously prepared - like a crime. After we had ''warmed up'' with the 66 and 67 Pétrus in December 1991, we opened a 67 La Tour Blanche as a final ''aperitif''. Then, when all the guests had left the Arlberg Hospiz restaurant, we switched off the lights and enjoyed this perfect, probably the best dessert wine in the world by candlelight, surrounded by silence. I had once jokingly said that I could decide for myself up to 19/20 points, and that my body would decide what would be above that. And... my body, or rather my ''wine soul'' decided: After the first sip, I cried for five minutes, probably the happiest tears of my life. I had to retreat to a corner with my glass to go into seclusion with myself. If I am still able to sip a wine on my deathbed, I would definitely like to drink the 37 d'Yquem before the big journey. Forgive me if I am unable to give you a precise description of this experience. There are not enough words here to even begin to describe this tremendous event. Geni Hess (Hotel Hess, Engelberg) opened this wine in 1993 after the '55 Lafleur, the '61 Margaux and the '71 Pétrus. I again had a piece of paper in front of me to write down my experiences with this wine. After a quarter of an hour, however, the paper was as empty as the glass in front of me. Tasted with four other 37s at my semester rarities tasting on the Bürgenstock in the same year: Another gigantic bottle with a ticket to paradise. Together with the magnum bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947 at the Parker 100 tasting in Hamburg, it was the only wine to score more than 20/20 points. 1995: I took the glass and moved away from the group. I drank "my" 37 d'Yquem for a quarter of an hour. Reflecting, realising and yet not understanding - in the Engelberg Alps. A glass that didn't make me dream, but sobered me up again. Not sobering - simply sober. How should I explain a 37 d'Yquem to those who were not able to experience this happiness? Without appearing egotistical, I compare this attempt with the story of a famous professor who wants to make the marvellous time of life after graduation palatable to his students who are sweating with exam anxiety. It was another points-crossing bottle. Two years later: perfect bouquet with strongly accentuated botrytis; perhaps rather slender at the beginning, peppery and with a concentrated intensity, dried fruit roundel, figs. On the palate, the soft body is surrounded by full-bodied melting, honey tones, lots of round, fat-laden extract molecules, the acidity penetrates through the sweetness again and again and lets the Sauternes and botrytis game begin again and again. Unforgettable and the goal of an arduous journey towards undefinable sweet wine greatness! 98: Dark, slightly brownish gold colour. Smoky, delicate bouquet; incredibly aromatic, dried fruit, roasted nuts, almonds, saffron and dark honey, with a finely packed, peppery botrytis in the middle. Complex, almost overwhelming palate, vivid extract, again honey mixed with dried figs and malt, bound, catapult-like finish, endlessly lingering. Still a 100-year guarantee! 06: Two bottles in the same blind tasting: First bottle: Maturing golden yellow colour. Intense bouquet that rises to the top, cognac, verbena indicates freshness, sultanas, candied honey, dark dried apricots, ripe and perfect. Despite the ripe sweetness, the palate is slender and therefore very elegant, more spice than fruit, curry notes, peppery, long finish. Only the fact that it could have a little more opulence in it prevents the 20/20 score. (19/20). Second bottle: Bright golden yellow with a brownish tinge. Perfect, fragrant bouquet, almond biscuits, Florentine biscuits, dried apricots, multi-layered and showing more aromas with every new nose. Creamy, long palate, showing a peppery, almost lively acidity that immediately combines with a candied sweetness, appears very fresh and still shows reserves for many more years. 08: As the last wine after three days of Cheval-Blanc in Basel, we drank this wine in the noble hall of the equally noble Hotel Trois Rois. An absolutely perfect bottle that - once again - moved me to tears of joy. (20/20). 12: At the Yquem tasting in Lucerne. The colour of this bottle somehow didn't really match my previous experiences with this wine. Everything was so incredibly young, even though the bottle, the capsule and the cork all looked authentic. Lightening gold colour, few ageing tones. Very sweet, extremely concentrated. Orange liqueur, candied orange peel, bitter orange and apricot compote. Dense on the palate, lots of candied orange peel, bitter orange, kumquat and exotic fruit nuances, ginger and a hint of coconut and very peppery on the palate. (20/20). 15: The colour was much darker than the Suduiraut from the same vintage, almost brownish gold with a copper-red shimmer. The nose showed a fine peppery note, nuances of volatile acidity, malaga, bitter orange, smoke and dark malt to cold smoke. In other words, a lot of deep flavours. The slightly peppery flavour remains in the nose the whole time. If there were still subtle questions on the nose, it wins every race on the palate. Showing the complexity, the extract, the perfection of a pure nectar. Chopped figs, chopped dark sultanas, lots of malt and even notes of Arabica coffee. The tremendous concentration. You can add a little saliva and when you swallow you have the feeling of savouring another big sip. This has always been my favourite Sauternes. And it touches me anew every time in the most intimate way. From head to toe and from the tongue to the very tip of every single toe. (20/20). 17: Ripe, dark, almost brownish ochre with an orange rim. The bouquet shows lots of dried fruit, dried figs, sultanas, white chocolate, dark caramel, broom, white pepper, roasted sesame, delicately complex, playful and constantly increasing in nasal pressure. Everything is extremely complex, the overwhelming sweetness is balanced by a perforated botrytis. In the third attack; dried mandarin peel and Cointreau. The nasal flavours repeat and overlap again on the palate. A veritable cocktail of various dried grapes rushes past you. The finish is truly liqueur-like and yet the sweetness is not intrusive, but radiates royalty. It is one of the greatest privileges of a wine connoisseur to be allowed to drink this wine once in a lifetime. Humble reverence! | |
