1981 Château d'Yquem
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Tasting notes
The 1981 Yquem is disappointing after a surprisingly fine bottle in 2021. Still very resinous on the nose, it lacks botrytis and doesn't really improve with aeration. There is a flatness here. The palate is better with orange rind, tangy marmalade and light apricot notes, along with a slightly acrid finish that feels short. Maybe I was just lucky with the previous bottle. Tasted at the Yquem vertical at the château.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 1981 Yquem is a wine that I first tasted around 2004, when it amazed an entire crowd with its definition and focus. It was a tricky picking apart from a straightforward first trie between 5 and 10 October. Now at 40-years, it had lost some of its energy and verve, quite resinous at first though it improves with aeration. The palate still has the finesse and poise that maybe the 1980 Yquem lacks, surprisingly concentrated on the finish given the growing season. Drink bottles in the near future.
The 1981 is certainly an outstanding Yquem, but it will not be considered one of this property's greatest efforts. Light golden, with a moderately intense bouquet of spicy, vanillin oak, fresh melons, and tropical fruit, this full-bodied Yquem has average acidity and a plump, viscous, somewhat precocious feel on the palate. Remarkably long and clean in the finish, it will develop relatively rapidly. Anticipated maturity: Now-2015. Last tasted, 3/87.