Only the third tasting with my new group, which took place this past Friday (1/17/13), and I've already ruined them with a d'Yquem! I snatched a half bottle at a great price, and then got four more 1998s to round it out. 1998 Sauternes has tempted me as a tasting theme for some time because the wines are known to be very good, but are overlooked and so the prices are very reasonable. And based on this tasting, plus a bit of prior experience, I highly recommend them! Now the notes, then some reflections.
Chateau Coutet, Barsac 1998
Burnished gold. An outstanding nose of pineapple, pear, apricot, raspberry, barley sugar, and mace. Wow! On the palate, pineapple and citrus acidity give beautiful support to pear, honey, a barley sugar/malt note, and a lot of botrytis mace. Full bodied and rich, almost intense, but elegant, with wonderful texture. This will easily last another 10 to 15 years. 4.5 Stars. [1/17/13]
Chateau Climens, Barsac 1998
Burnished gold. Outstanding, rich, dense, honeyed nose, with pineapple, lots of pear, lots of flower nectar, mineral, and nutmeg. The palate is driven by bright tangerine acidity with lots of ripe pear, honeyed apricot, a hint of raspberry, loads of mineral, and spicy botrytis nutmeg. Rich and full bodied but light and elegant in texture. Has another 10 years ahead. 4 Stars [1/17/13]
Chateau Guiraud, Sauternes 1998
Burnished gold. Excellent nose pear, nectar, apricot, honey / barley sugar, some mineral, and a whiff of botrytis brown spice. On the palate, prominent orange, candied pineapple, apricot, a hint of raspberry, nectar, and mineral, with just a hint of botrytis spice, and a hint of celery. Full bodied and rich, but a little raw in texture. 5 more years. 3.5 Stars [1/17/13]
Chateau La Tour Blanche, Sauternes 1998
Burnished gold. Excellent and dense but low key nose of apricot and hazelnut. On the palate, generous citrusy acidity, tangerine, candied citrus rind, honey, flower nectar, lots of hazelnut, and a hint of botrytis spice. Full bodied, smooth and rich with wonderful texture. This is really lovely, and the balance is perfect! Will age nicely for another 10 to 20 years. 4.5 Stars [1/17/13]
Chateau d'Yquem, Sauternes 1998
Burnished gold. An awesome nose, with lots of hazelnut, candied peach, raspberry, and a bit of barley sugar. Magnificently syrupy on the palate, with a driving vein of lemon peel acidity, pear, candied stone fruit, a hint of raspberry, loads of hazelnut, candied citrus peel, and a hint of botrytis spice. Such density! Such depth! Full bodied and very long, with a magnificently penetrating texture. Not yet full mature, this will benefit from 5 to 10 more years, and will last for 20 to 30. Awesome! 5 Stars [1/17/13]
Everyone thought that the whole lineup was outstanding, but there wasn't actually a consensus favorite - considering that there was d'Yquem involved, that should tell you just how good Coutet and La Tour Blanche were; the few more experienced tasters did side with me on the d'Yquem as the WOTN. The consensus least favorite might have been Guiraud. But there were no slackers - just varying levels of excellence.
Including the 1998 Rieussec which I including in a tasting a few years ago, I've now tasted six out of the twelve Sauternes 1er Crus from this vintage. And I must say, this is an unjustly overlooked vintage. The quality of the wines is exceptional, and the style is very nice: they are relatively speaking on the lighter, elegant side, driven by nice citrusy acidity and fresh fruit flavors, but still quite rich. They are also very reasonably priced: other than d'Yquem these were all between $40 and $55. The Coutet in particular is quite a value, and even d'Yquem at $100 per half is a good value in d'Yquem terms. I may very well be adding some 1998s to the cellar.
Just for reference, here's my note for Rieussec, as well as Rieussec's third label, which by coincidence I've also had (both edited a bit to match my current note format). And it's very interesting to note, even though these two notes were taken at separate times and years before this tasting gave me the context of the five 1998s above, that the basic personality is the same, including the note of pear which seems to be at the core of the 1998 character. Also note that adjusting the drinking windows for the 4 year difference brings them perfectly in line with those above.
Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes 1998
Bright golden, with hints of green. Excellent nose of pear, apricot, tropical fruits, and mineral. Similar notes on the palate, with loads of nutmeg from botrytis, lots of mineral, vanilla, and notable, sweet grass/celery. Very rich, and still somewhat firm at this stage. A very excellent wine. Should age nicely for another 15 - 20 years. 3.5 Stars [9/11/09]
Chateau de Cosse, Sauternes 1998
3rd wine of Chateau Rieussec. Burnished gold. Wonderful nose - the kind of floral nectar Sauternes nose that puts a big smile on my face! Pear, apricot, honey, floral nectar, some botrytis, a bit of cellary, very creamy vanilla, raspberry, and barley sugar. Full bodied, and very floral. Remarkably similar to the 1998 Rieussec grand vin I tasted just a month earlier, though much more floral. Lovely. 10 years or more ahead of it. 3 Stars [10/17/09]