Sauternes Blend Wines

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There is no other wine in the world like it, and there is no other luxury wine that can possibly justify its price as much as Yquem. The remarkable amount of painstaking labor necessary to produce the nectar known as Yquem is almost impossible to comprehend. This is a fascinating effort. With greater evidence of botrytis than the colossal 1983, but less power and alcohol, the 1986 Yquem tastes reminiscent of the 1975, only more precocious, as well as more concentrated. Several highly respected Bordeaux negociants who are Yquem enthusiasts claim the 1986 Yquem is the greatest wine produced at the property since the legendary 1937. Its enthralling bouquet of pineapples, sauteed hazelnuts, vanillin, and ripe apricots is breathtaking. Compellingly concentrated, the breadth as well as depth of flavor seemingly know no limits. This full-bodied, powerful, yet impeccably balanced Yquem should provide memorable drinking for 40-55 more years. Like the 1983, this is another winemaking tour de force. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2040. Last tasted, 4/91.Robert Parker | 98 RP

A sensational Yquem, 1997 may be this estate’s finest effort since 1990 (although I would not discount the 1996 turning out to be nearly as good). The 1997’s light gold color is accompanied a gorgeous perfume of caramel, honeysuckle, peach, apricot, and smoky wood. Full-bodied and unctuously-textured, with good underlying acidity as well as loads of sweetness and glycerin, it looks to be a great vintage for this renowned Sauternes estate. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2055.Note: Yquem spends 42 months in 100% new oak. No cask tasting is permitted, and the wine is not released until 5 years after the vintage. For example, the 1998 will be released some time in 2003; the 2001 will not be released until 2006.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPA pure style, with intense acacia, white peach, apricot, nectarine and tangerine notes that are long and racy, set against a gorgeous singed almond backdrop. Pulls together orchard and tropical fruit flavors on the long, refined finish.—Non-blind Yquem vertical (July 2014). Drink now through 2035. 14,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 1997 Yquem comes from a season that witnessed the earliest-ever flowering (5 May) and an early picking that began on 4 September, though botrytis failed to develop, necessitating seven tries through the vineyard over 32 days of picking that lasted until 4 November. One aspect to note is how deep in colour this is compared to the 2003 that Sandrine Garbay served alongside. The nose offers marmalade and quince, hints of yellow plum and honey, not quite as precise as the previous bottle that I tasted in May the previous year, though it displays less of that adhesive trait. The palate has a lovely piquancy, very tangy with driving marmalade and Seville orange notes. The 5g/L of total acidity maintains the tension of the 1997, though maybe it is a little more evolved than I might have expected. Still, it remains a magnificent Yquem that will last many decades. Tasted from ex-château bottle in London.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The 1999 was particularly impressive for the vintage. It was superbly focused and beautiful on the nose, with sugared lemons, tropical fruit and maple syrup character. Full-bodied and thick, yet very fine, it was extremely sweet and long.Wine Spectator | 94 WSShowing extra maturation with a deeper colour in the glass, this is an elegant and precise Yquem which doesn’t have the concentration of the greatest vintages but is still classically structured with notable acidity and grip on the palate. Lacks a bit of complexity compared to some of the other wines tasted, but still a fine Sauternes which is at its peak now, but will keep for at least another decade too. 1999 was a difficult vintage, with rain in September and October.DECANTER | 93 DEC(Château d’Yquem (375 ml.)) I was very surprised to like the 1999 Yquem a bit better than I liked the 2001, as the vintage in general seems to be decidedly stronger in Sauternes in 2001. The 1999 Yquem offers up a complex and classic nose of toasted coconut, oranges, honey, butter, lovely soil tones, fresh apricot and a lovely framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and quite crisp, with lovely focus and balance, excellent mid-palate depth and a very long, bright and poised finish. A lovely bottle of Yquem. (375 ml.) (Drink between 2007-2040)John Gilman | 93 JGMedium gold in color, the 1999 d'Yquem has shed its puppy fat and transformed into compelling cinnamon toast, creme caramel and cashew notions with emerging notes of beurre blanc, honeycomb, ginger snaps and praline over a core of peach preserves and apple pie. The palate is softly spoken with a refreshing backbone carrying loads of delicate savory and stone fruit preserves nuances to a long, beautifully restrained finish. At the 20-year mark, this wine is in the midst of its ideal drinking window, and while I hasten to add that there is no rush to drink up, there’s also no need to delay your gratification either. The alcohol this vintage is 13.8%, while the residual sugar is 128 grams per liter, and the total acidity is 4.5 grams per liter of H2SO4.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 1999 Yquem is a wine I’ve tasted several times in recent months since it is available by the glass in a local restaurant. It’s a middle-of-the-road Yquem, a fine Sauternes but nothing special. The aromatics always feel a little advanced for the wine’s age, offering tangerine, mandarin and light butterscotch scents but perhaps just missing the clarity and complexity of top vintages. The palate has pleasing viscosity and is spicier than expected, with touches of ginger complementing the orange peel and dried apricot notes toward the conservative finish. Tasted at The Jetty restaurant.Vinous Media | 90 VM

There are 10,000 cases of this perfect sweet white Bordeaux. The 2001 Yquem reveals a hint of green in its light gold color. While somewhat reticent aromatically, with airing, it offers up honeyed tropical fruit, orange marmalade, pineapple, sweet creme brulee, and buttered nut-like scents. In the mouth, it is full-bodied with gorgeously refreshing acidity as well as massive concentration and unctuosity. Everything is uplifted and given laser-like focus by refreshing acidity. This large-scaled, youthful Yquem appears set to take its place among the most legendary vintages of the past, and will age effortlessly for 75+ years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2100+.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe greatest young Yquem I have ever tasted from bottle. Yellow, with a golden hue and an almost green tint. Intense aromas of botrytis, spices and blanched almonds follow through to honey, maple syrup, dried apricot and pineapple. Full-bodied, sweet, thick and powerful, with layers of fruit and a bright, lively finish. Coats the palate yet remains exciting. So balanced and refined, showing the pedigree that only this Sauternes estate can deliver. Best after 2012. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 100 WSWhat a pure wine, with honey, caramel, cooked apple, bon bon, and pear tart. Dried apricots and peaches develop with time in the glass. What a palate, it is very sweet and rich at the impact, but then it’s dense and opulent like a Grand Cru Burgundy, think Montrachet. Apples, honey, and pineapples with hints of mango on the palate. This is an incredible wine, a real dream, a legend. 150 grams of RS.James Suckling | 100 JSJust weeks after tasting the 2001 Château d’Yquem at the estate, another bottle was served at a lunch in London and it was perfection. The aromatics are practically identical and likewise the palate, but this bottle, which had been decanted, displays a scintilla more tension, perhaps more "vibrancy" that so effortlessly counterbalances the richness. Irrespective of points, it is simply one of the most magnificent wines of any kind that can pass your lips.Vinous Media | 100 VMBright medium gold. Voluptuous yet vibrant nose, with aromas of peach, mandarins, honey and crème brûlée. It’s markedly sweet, with 150g/L of residual sugar, but exquisite acidity keeps it taut and textured. Very elegant, no trace of heaviness, and the finish is lifted, poised and very long. Tasted from double magnum (as one does). Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 98 DEC(Château d’Yquem) I had anticipated liking this wine more than I ended up doing, as 2001 is an excellent vintage in Sauternes and well, Yquem is Yquem. But for whatever reason, this bottle of the 2001 was in the good, not great realm, and decidedly less exciting than I had anticipated from the combination of top year and legendary estate. The nose is quite marked by its new wood at this stage of its evolutionary cycle, as the wine offers up notes of apricot, honey, odd (for Sauternes) minty tones, orange, a touch of coconut and plenty of new wood that carries a rather unexpected menthol component to its aromatic signature. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, sweet and a touch flat, with good mid-palate depth, better wood integration than the nose shows and sound length and grip on the finish. But overall this is either in an extremely awkward stage, or it is a swing and a miss in this vintage. I would age it at least another five or six years to see if the wood on the nose becomes subsumed into the other components. Even if the wine evolves along a best-case scenario, I would be shocked to see it ever emerge as a great Yquem. (Drink between 2015-2050)John Gilman | 90 JG