d'Yquem Chateau d' Yquem 1er Cru Superieur (fruchtsüß) 1988

Jeff Leve: Just a fabulous wine from the moment the wine hit the glass. The explosive nose, with its coconut, butterscotch, creme brulee, candied orange, flowers, vanilla bean, and honeyed tropical fruit got you to stop, stare and take another sniff. Rich, lush, opulent, intensely concentrated, velvet-textured apricots, yellow tropical fruits and a gallon of honey that was perfectly braced with a wall of acidity that hung on for well over 60 seconds in the finish. This has entered the start of secondary development and could easily go 100 years. As a guess, the next marker comes in with another 20 yeas of age. 99/100 (2020)

Jancis Robinson: 13.5%, 123 g/l RS, TA 3.8. Very classic vintage. Warm year with a very wet spring. Good weather lasted to the end of the harvest, 15 Oct started – very late – and then it was a dream vintage with no rain for 4 weeks. Ended 25 Nov. Very late. Dark tawny. The most uintriging nose Glossy and lively and more intellectual than the other two, Extremely long – a hint of ginger and real zest. Certainly seemed the best of these three without a doubt. Very racy and flirtatious – maybe racier than the 1989. Powerful and very very long. 19.5/20 (2008)

Parker: The 1988 Chateau d'Yquem has long been an insider's favorite over the 1989 and 1990, although at the end of the day, all three form a brilliant triumvirate at the end of the decade. Tasted from a half bottle, it shone with a slightly burnished amber hue. The bouquet is just as I have encountered with previous bottles with scents of marmalade, mandarin, burnt honey and citrus fruit, perhaps a little waxier and resinous than I recall. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive weight, viscous as you would expect, though not as flamboyant as the 1989 or as unctuous as the 1990. It is beautifully balanced with notes of apricot, white chocolate and orange peel towards the harmonious and tensile finish. You can see this cruising along for two or three decades and maybe it will turn more Barsac-like in style? Time will tell - a glorious Yquem however you look at it. 96/100 (2016)