Chateau d’Yquem holds just under 300 acres of vineyard land on gravelly, well-drained soil, but only uses about 250 to make wine in any given year. The remainder is due to a program of continual replanting which ensures that producing vines are always in their prime. And the vineyard is planted only to Semillion (75%) and Sauvignon Blanc (25%), eschewing Muscadelle which is commonly used in the area but makes less distinguished wine.

Within an hour of harvest, the grapes of Chateau d’Yquem are in the winery and being pressed. Unlike most white wines, quality actually improves with multiple pressings as that extracts more sugar and flavor intensity. Chateau d’Yquem three or four times, with the initial effort yielding about 75% of the total volume.

Chateau d’Yquem does all its fermentation in new French oak barrels. This is unsual for Sauternes, but results in the most flavorful and pristine wine. Although there is variation from one vintage to the next, the typical Chateau d’Yquem wine finishes fermentation at 13.5% alcohol with 150 grams/liter of sugar.

All the barrels age for six to eight months after fermentation. At that point, under-performing barrels are set aside. The remaining barrels go to the aging cellar for 20 months, where they are topped up twice weekly to maintain freshness. For pure flavors and clarity, the wines are also racked 15 times and then fined before the final, blind tasting which determines the blend that will go into bottle.

Although not always very outgoing when young, Chateau d’Yquem is marked by fruit (apricot, mandarin, and occasionally tropical fruit) and oak (vanilla and toasty aromas). Older vintages, on the other hand, have an extraordinarily complex fragrance as soon as the bottle is opened, with hints of dried fruit (dried apricot, prune, stewed fruit, and marmalade), spice (cinnamon, saffron, and liquorice), and even flowers (lime blossom, etc.). The first impression of Chateau d'Yquem on the palate is always very silky, and often sumptuous. It then fills out, "coating the palate". This fine wine has a strong, but never overbearing character, with great elegance and poise. It always maintains a balance between sugar and acidity (sweetness and freshness). A touch of bitterness can also contribute to the overall harmony.

Château d’Yquem 1987 is the estate’s Sauternes from a year widely seen as challenging in the region, and the professional reviews that exist tend to frame it as a good, even charming, Yquem that stops short of the profound richness associated with the château’s greatest vintages.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (88 points, tasted January 1993) calls it “a medium-weight d’Yquem” with “enticing oaky tropical fruit aromas,” while also noting that “the unctuosity and profound depth of flavor so obvious in top years are not present.” Parker’s drinking window—“Now-2010”—signals that this was never positioned as a decades-long monument in the way peak Yquem can be, but rather as a bottle meant to be enjoyed on a nearer timetable.

Wine Spectator (88 points, May 1999) is similarly clear about the context, describing 1987 as “what’s considered an average vintage in Sauternes,” but then marks this out as “a surprisingly good Yquem.” That is an excellent endorsement in vintage context: it suggests the wine outperformed expectations even if it didn’t transcend the year. Spectator highlights a bright, energetic profile—“lively with good acidity”—and places it in a “medium body” register, with flavor notes that run from citrus to richer accents: “lemon pineapple orange and chocolate.” The magazine also points to a limit on the finish, saying it “reveals its vintage pedigree in the slightly pedestrian finish,” an observation that aligns with Parker’s view that the wine lacks the deep, saturated concentration of top years.

Taken together, the 1987 reads as a more streamlined, freshness-driven Yquem, with attractive oak-tropical aromatics, clear citrus and pineapple fruit, and enough acidity to keep it moving. For collectors, the main takeaway is value in character and typicity rather than ultimate depth: a solidly reviewed Yquem—both major critics at 88—that delivers pleasure without the full weight and resonance of the château at its best.