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  • Country ranking ?

    1 271
  • Producer ranking ?

    79
  • Decanting time

    5h
  • When to drink

    now to 2040

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The Story

The pleasure derived from tasting Yquem is difficult to describe.

It offers a myriad of well-balanced, complex flavours that generate even more harmonies over time. The impression that remains is reminiscent of a quote from Frédéric Dard "the silence that follows a piece by Mozart, in which the listener remains suffused with the music". This reflects the fact that Château d'Yquem stays on the palate for a remarkable long time, providing a u...

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Wine Information

An unusually dry year with excessive temperatures despite an overall lack of sunshine. Ripening was uneven and picking was rather complicated, starting on 12/9 and finishing on 5/11. 2002 is nevertheless one of the vintages that best expresses Yquem's terroir, and features a remarkable balance between sweetness and acidity.

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Vintage 2002

BORDEAUX: 2002 A wonderful vintage of pure, rich, elegant reds and soft, rounded whites.

An early start to flowering was followed by a variable summer with a bit of everything, from cold to hot to hot and back again. A long period of dry weather was beginning to be a problem when the rain of early September arrived, replenishing the vines. When the wind turned to the north, the grapes were dried and the harvest could begin on September 16 u...

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

<10 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Light and Bright

ending

Medium, Spicy and Alcoholic

flavors

Vegetal, Toasty, Smoky, New-oak, Caramel and Tropical fruits

nose

Intense, Fresh and Refined

recommend

No

taste

Average in Acidity, High alcohol content, Light, One-dimensional, Sweet and Too tannic

Verdict

Fine and Oxidised

Written Notes

Surely the forgotten Yquem, jammed between the monumental 2001 (I still believe that this may, in time, be seen as the greatest Yquem ever made) and the rich and luscious 2003. I can't remember seeing it before and certainly can't recall any rave reviews. How unfair! This was a serious surprise and just a joy to drink. A very, very good wine. The DNA is absolutely Yquem. You could spot it as an Yquem from the proverbial mile. Lovely floral and honey notes. Don't miss it if you get the chance. Seriously good. It is delicious now but there is no hurry.

94

  • 94p

Pale golden, apricots, vanilla, pineapples, one of those wines that the glass was all of a sudden empty, and you just experienced that it heightened the conversation without being the conversation. It's a delight that that can still happen, even with an Yquem in the glass. 91

  • 91p

A cooler vintage in this flight. Balance between acidity and sugar is very interesting. Very late vintage. Very classical with all botrytised grapes’.
Very classical and utterly delightful! This feels like every box is ticked, with that archetypal creme brûlée flavour classic and the acidity feels perfectly balanced. There seems little that you can count against this – maybe too much bot? Really has the toffee popping through the finish. Perfect balance. I’d prefer to see this even older I think, just so it will flesh out more – it’s still quite tight. Perfection, if in a slightly subtle mode. Svelte and timeless. It doesn’t woo like the 05, but the lines here are near perfect, hence the score. 19/20, 96/100.

  • 96p
Tasted three times - last time in June 2012. Consistent notes. Residual sugar 7.3%, alcohol 14.0%, acidity 4.5 g/l H2SO4. A lighter version of 2004. Fresh, sweet apples and pears. Immensely seductive. Acidity is supporting fruit in tremendous way. Again you find here outstanding balance, purity and finesse. Extraordinary wine. Slightly less intense when tasted in June 2012 - the bottle was bought on open market.
  • 95p
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Information

Origin

Sauternes, Bordeaux
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