John Alvi's Tasting Notes

1976
Fabulous, crystal clear, golden colour.
Nose has deep rich freshness. Fresh white flowers and notes of freshly baked brioche.
Palate also remarkably fresh, polished and perfectly balanced. Long in the mouth, lingering aftertaste. Delicate, fine caramel and brown sugar. Grow in the mouth. An airy feel to the sweetness. Perfect condition. Beautiful wine

1962
Magnificent golden colour, golden edge. Deep orange-golden heart.
Nose wonderfully youthful, airy, delicate yet powerful and long, tremendously long. Delicate notes of fig. Above all florality. Orange blossom and later hawthorn and broom
Taste is fantastic. A thing of beauty. Orange peel and zest and fresh fragrant lemony acidity holding the intense sweetness in thrall. It starts off quite shy and then grows in the mouth. The sweetness is fresh and light and delicate in spite of the power. Beautifully ripe Sauvignon plays an important part here. This will last for many years.

1958
Superb golden orange, no deeper than the 1962. Crystal clear brilliance and amber reflections
Nose hugely rich, especially for such a year. Lovely candy and orange peel notes. A delicate nuttiness. Concentrated and complex bouquet
Palate profound and splendiferous. Rich, pure caramel and Demerara sugar, with touches off gentle ginger spice which render it alive and vibrant. Very long in the mouth with a delicately lingering aftertaste. Superb vinification has made a work of art in a difficult year.

1934
The colour, quite staggeringly, is hardly any older than the 62 and 58. Crystal clear, brilliant orange deep gold with amber copper reflections.
Nose is nutty with deep confit fruit tones. Very deep and very long. Tones of vanilla. Orange zest gives wonderful freshness and liveliness. Bouquet finishes on mandarin confit.
Palate quite unbelievably beautiful. Notes of tobacco, of honeyed nuts and of orange peel and zest. Clean, fresh, delicious acidity/sweetness balance. Caramel, which is almost that of crème brulée, with overtones of mint. Concentrated and opulent and complex.

1924
A vintage that was never considered to be fine until this evening. Crystal clear, light mahogany colour with deep amber reflections.
On nose the confit fruits show the well-preserved age and the nuttiness shows its complexity. Fresh candy in the nostrils. The acidity is still balancing the gently attenuating sweetness to perfection
On the palate the wine is a wonderful surprise. No trace of approaching death, but that of gentle and pure oxidation. Liquorice, minty notes. This is a symbiosis of the terroir and the wine maker’s skill and underlines the complexity of Yquem’s terroir. Relatively high alcohol wine with an attractive core. Minty notes and charming freshness.

1900
The colour was the most supreme, crystal clear and brilliant, copper mahogany. Very beautiful to behold. Reflections of copper gold
Nose. Supreme. Delicate yet powerful. Still with great fruit and nuttiness. Fills the nostrils completely. Preserves the most incredible bouquet of youth and energy. A joy and a voluptuous experience
This is a wine that I have been searching for all my life. Here at last is perfection. Palate has great depth, richness and immense persistence, lingering forever.

There is a slight austerity, which is the privilege of a truly great wine. This austerity in no way dries out the wine but renders it even nobler. A delicate rancio throughout. This lingers into the dry nuttiness confit fruit. A synergy, a magical experience, a thing of beauty, an orgasm in the mouth and one of the most beautiful wines that I have ever been privileged to taste. A miracle of man and nature.

1893
This is a great deal darker than the 1900. Still absolutely crystal clear and brilliant dark deep copper mahogany with old gold reflections
On the nose the youthfulness is absolutely staggering. Of course it is an old lady, but one could never think that she was more then half her age. A stupendous state of preservation.

Nutty and intense. Still with zest of oranges and citrus tones and a wonderfully aromatic expression. It is hard to find words for such a wine. Incredible preservation so that the fruit is still alive and evident even if no longer vibrant.

The acidity level is still magnificent and this helps to preserve its vigour and aliveness. The balance is therefore PERFECT. It could even last another 50 years and still be gently graceful. A wondrous moment to be savoured and treasured in the memory.

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