When a wine does not live up to its label

My dad collects wine. A lot of it. Sometimes he buys it and drinks it right away, other times he stores it away for years reserved for a special occasion. That brings us to Chateau d'Yquem, one of the most (if not the most) celebrated vineyards to produce Sauternes, a sweet dessert wine from the Southern part of Bordeaux.

So, my Dad bought 3 bottles of Chateau d'Yquem 1995 and kept them in the cellar for about 8 years and finally decided to open a bottle for my mom's birthday. I am a huge dessert wine fan so naturally I was super excited.


For dinner my mom made her famous Marcella Hazan recipe for eggplant parmesan which is super yummy and consists of eggplant fried and then layered with San Marzano tomatoes and some mozzarella (and Parmesan) on top and baked till the cheese is oozy and bubbly.


Then, my mom made her famous salad that with the dressing that she has been making since before I was born...and I forgot what else we ate. Anyway, we were all quite excited to try the Chateau d'Yquem so after dinner my dad delegated between 4 glasses.


We all tried the wine and, sniff sniff, we not too impressed. It was okay, it wasn't undrinkable, but it was a bit syrupy, super sweet...nothing too interesting or distinct about the flavor.


All in all, it was quite the disappointment. Maybe in another few years (fingers crossed) we will feel differently!