Chateau d'Yquem 1950

A good year in Sauternes, and an outstanding wine from Yquem. Built in an elegant style, with fine apricot and dried fruit character, a beautiful, palate-coating texture and a long, elegant finish.--Yquem vertical. Drink now through 2020.

Very kindly served with gorgonzola and Comté to our little group of British wine professionals born in 1950. Michael Broadbent gives the vintage only two out of five stars in his Vintage Wine and points out that all his early notes on other 1950 Sauternes were on bottlings by Harveys of Bristol. Only Yquem was château-bottled. He also points out that the then-owner, Alexandre de Lur Saluces, likes the 1950, adding, 'I don't'. He objected to an 'oily, varnishy' note that was not in evidence at this lunch, I'm delighted to say. This century, I've been lucky enough to taste this seven times before, with scores ranging from 17 to 20. Extremely deep brownish amber. Tastes much drier than the 2005 that preceded it. Clean, fresh and almost savoury! There's a brûlée note and the wine, again, is incredibly long and complex though admittedly not in the first flush of youth – just like us. (JR)

This bottle came from my own cellar. I must admit that I had intended to pick a different and frankly, less expensive vintage, but misread the label and it was cracked open before I could say "Doh!". The 1950 Yquem has a deep amber colour. The nose is fully mature but captivating: barley sugar, stewed tangerines, mandarin and orange rind, all with divine definition and focus. The palate has ethereal balance and a sense of effortlessness with orange zest, Turkish delight, a hint of dried ginger and mandarin again. No, this is not a complex Yquem, but it transcends the vintage with chutzpah.

98: Dark gold. Slim, rather upfront bouquet; slightly pungent, needs a bit of air, pectin. Alongside the dry sweetness, the palate feels rather leathery, with a metallic finish.

Velvety, finely opulent, slightly untidy bouquet, with notes of figs, raisins, caramel and honey. Broad, rounded palate with a fine, generous sweetness, delicate acidity, a wide structure, good aromatic intensity and a long finish. 17/20 drink now

14 years after the previous tasting, this wine has lost only 0.5 point! Coppery color with green highlights. Refined, fruity nose with a slight stewed-fruit note. The palate is subtle, melting, airy and noble, with real flavor and a very long, delicious finish. Hints of salted caramel linger on the aftertaste. The wine still gives a strong impression of youth. A great success of the vintage. It could last a century.