Pale gold colored, the 1998 d'Yquem features a flamboyant, rock-star nose of allspice, candied ginger, honeycomb and crème brûlée with a core of preserved lemons, mandarin peel and musk perfume plus a waft of potpourri. Beautifully balanced in the mouth, with seamless freshness lifting the decadent sweetness (134.4 grams per liter of residual sugar), it culminates with fantastically persistent layers of exotic spices. LPB

Pale gold. Knockout aromas of creme brulee, coconut, vanilla bean, honey and orange peel. Lush and seductively silky in the mouth; its creamy, seamless texture makes it seem deceptively accessible today but sound acid structure should keep it going for 20 years or more. Not hugely sweet or tropical but very complex and fine. Firm, hazelnutty finish offers great length, if not quite the grip of the '89.

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s Christmas lunch. The ’98 d’Yquem has a more extravagant nose than I remember, less mineralite than it displayed in its youth and perhaps a little more alcoholic on the nose. There are touches of pineapple, mango, treacle and custard cremes, becoming peachier with time in the glass. The palate is viscous on the entry and very well balanced with honeycomb, white peach, apricot and wild honey that leads to a powerful, if not elegant finish. The ’98 is a little “unruly” at present. Drink 2016-2030. Tasted December 2010.