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  • Country ranking ?

    26
  • Producer ranking ?

    2
  • Decanting time

    5h
  • When to drink

    now to 2050

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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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 unique, prolonged pleasure. There is a lovely expression in French to describe Yquem's tremendously long aftertaste: il fait la queue du paon, which means that it spreads out like a peacock's tail.

 

It is always difficult to describe wine-tasting experiences with any precision. The senses of sight, smell, taste and touch are all stimulated virtually at the same time. While gifted tasters can identify some of the aromas and flavours in a glass of Yquem in an effort to define its complexity, they never really succeed in communicating its essence or explaining its mystery. Mere analysis, whether chemical or organoleptic, is not sufficient to account for Yquem's greatness. Yquem tells a unique story... It starts with the bouquet. Although not always very outgoing in young vintages, it 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 Château 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's aftertaste is legendary, and it tells another story, which lasts and lasts…

Certain connoisseurs consider it outrageous to drink a young Yquem and believe that opening such a monumental wine before its thirtieth birthday is tantamount to a sacrilege. Others, on the contrary, think that Yquem can be enjoyed at all stages in its life.

 

Chateau d`Yquem is often described as the greatest sweet wine in the world. After centuries of family ownership, Yquem was was bought by Louis Vuitton-Moët-Hennessy in 1999. Its former owner and director Alexandre de Lur-Saluce remains in charge. Yquem is located on the highest hill in Sauternes and enjoys the best growing conditions in the whole appellation. The 110-hectare vineyard is planted with 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Only fully botrytized fruit is picked by the 150 highly skilled pickers and yields are so low that each vine produces only one glass of wine. Yquem is fermented in oak barrels (100% new) and is left in barriques to mature for up to 36 months. Intensely opulent when young, Yquem develops an extraordinary complexity and exotic richness when fully mature, with the best vintages lasting for over 50 years. Château d'Yquem is classified as a 1er Cru Classé supérieur.

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Wine Information

A vintage with picture perfect weather up until the last day of picking on the 19th of October. The grapes were bursting with absolutely ripe, tremendously sweet fruit and blessed with providential botrytisation thanks to warm, rainy weather… The vintage had a rhythm reminiscent of 1989, the opulence of 1990, the intensity of 2003, and the concentration of 2001 and 1893 put together – which makes it a true masterpiece.

 

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Vintage 2009

Much like 1947, 1961 and 2005, 2009 is a year of almost overly (for Bordeaux) flamboyant and opulent wines with high maturity and low acidity. The tannins are exceptionally ripe, while the wines are quite voluptuous in style. The Left Bank recorded more hours of sunshine than legendary vintages such as 1947 and 1982, and the grapes had higher sugar concentrations than in 2003 and 2005. The key was significant diurnal temperature variations that allowed the grapes to withstand hot daytime temperatures. An exceptional vintage on all levels.

 

 

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Average Bottle Price

2015 2014
407€ -8.1% 443€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Deep, Straw and Bright

ending

Endless, Extensive and Flavorful

flavors

Licorice, Vanilla, Honey, Mineral, Truffles and Cassis

nose

Intense, Fresh, Seductive and Generous

recommend

Yes

taste

Perfectly balanced, Concentrated, Well-Integrated, Full-bodied, Firm, Round, Harmonious and Silky tannins

Verdict

Sophisticated and Masterpiece

Written Notes

Good looking normal size bottle, in an perfect condition and has by the neck level. Colour is straw, and looking bright, deep and full. On the nose it is open, intense, refined, fresh, generous, seductive and rich. The taste is fresh, round, harmonious, focused, silky, firm, refined, with silky tannins, full-bodied, with concentrated, well-integrated, multi-dimensional and perfectly balanced structure. On the palate it is layered and has citrus, licorice, perfumed, honey, tropical fruits, truffles, vanilla, mineral and cassis flavours. The finish is endless, extensive, lingering and flavorful. This wine is sophisticated and masterpiece. I paid around 200-500€ a bottle. Perfectly stored bottles are still very worthy and will last well for another 20-30 years and decant at least over 4h before tasting. Good value for money. I do recommend.
  • 98p

More grassy than the 2015 just tasted, with honey and golden syrup and plenty of volatile-acidity character. Fatter and richer than the 2015, and a burnt-sugar flavour dominates. An embarrassment of riches.

  • 93p

Lively greenish gold. Very indulgent nose that sends a tingle down the spine. Great tang and life as well as richness. So pure and flirtatious – not one of the sweetest but beautiful balance and refreshment, without being an ‘aperitif style Sauternes’. Quite exceptionally persistent. Hints of blossom and real lift. Orange peel and real zest – great energy. Not heavy at all, This takes 2009 Sauternes to a new level. Extremely bright fruit. Long and rich. Not a fat style of Yquem. 

  • 97p

The length to this is exceptional with an intensity yet subtlety. Full and medium sweet with bright and exciting acidity. It's all in balance here. Creme brulee, pineapple, and papaya. Lasts so long on finish. It's so fabulous now. It will age forever but it's already a joy to taste, even drink.

  • 98p

2009 d’Yquem - Still just a baby as you would expect, yet it is impossible not to be blown by the juxtaposition between the insanely concentrated levels of ripe and over ripe, honey drenched tropical fruit and the bracing acidity that gives the wine life. Everything here is off the hook. This is so good today, I wish I had a bottle tonight. But if I had the wine in my cellar, as tempting as it might be, I'd wait at least 1 more decade, or better yet, 2 before I started thinking about popping a cork. 99 Pts

  • 99p

Towards golden. Intense, botrytis, apricots, pineapples, complex, layered. Superb nose, needs time to open fully. Fresh acidity, fruity, intense, layered, refreshing and playful, layers of fruit, pure and detailed, very long indeed. Gorgeous. 98

 

  • 98p

Served from an ex-château bottle. The 2009 Château d’Yquem is one showstopper of a wine and perhaps it is only in a vertical that you realize this is up there among the legendary wines of the past – the 2001 included. It has a wonderful nose that expresses the Semillon component majestically: heady aromas of lemon curd, nectarine, jasmine and honeysuckle that all gain momentum in the glass. The oak is supremely well-integrated. The palate is extremely well-balanced with an unctuous entry. You are immediately knocked sideways by the palpable weight and volume in the mouth, which is almost “bulbous,” with layer upon layer of heavily botrytized fruit. It builds to a spicy finish with hints of marzipan and pralines in the background that lend it an untrammeled sense of exoticism. The 2009 is utterly fabulous and decadent, a star that will blaze brightly and undimmed for many years. Drink now-2060+

  • 100p

An exceptional vintage. Really outstanding grapes and outstanding noble rot. Very powerful.’
Golden yellow straw. In a transitional phase methinks, as the fruit is a little more subdued (but less than the ’07). Big flavours, tending towards butterscotch rather than delicate lime. Indeed it feels just a little warm, but also more fruit forward, more golden and even quite table wine-esque. Oak plays a big part here. Transitional, but the length and breadth is pure top end. I marginally prefer the palate with its hints of toffee and lime here compared to the 2007. Love the finish and power, but it’s a bit formidable. The sweetness on the finish makes this delicious. 18.7/20, 95/100+.

  • 95p

Chateau d’Yquem 2009 99 points

Hard to say that this was better than the 2011 and vice versa, for different reasons these two wines have an inner light… lingering, powerful, rich, restrained, fine, expansive, sure… so many words.  Unmisseable.

  • 99p

Tasted on the 27th January 2017 from Duclot Bordeaux Collection case containing 9 bottles from 2009 vintage, 6 First Growths, PGCC "A" wine, Cheval Blanc, "unclassified" king of Pomerol, Petrus and "sweet" king Yquem. This time Yquem didn't ring the bell, more touched it and wasn't as breathtaking as in March 2015. But I'm pretty sure it will come back with vengeance.

  • 98p
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Information

Origin

Sauternes, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Excellent

Fake factory

Serious

Glass time

3h

Inside Information

eRobertParker.com #213
Jun 2014
Neal Martin 100 Drink: 2014 - 2060 $440-$1550
Served from an ex-chateau bottle. The 2009 Chateau d’Yquem is one showstopper of a wine and perhaps it is only in a vertical that you realize this is up there among the legendary wines of the past – the 2001 included. It has a wonderful nose that expresses the Semillon component majestically: heady aromas of lemon curd, nectarine, jasmine and honeysuckle that all gain momentum in the glass. The oak is supremely well-integrated. The palate is extremely well-balanced with an unctuous entry. You are immediately knocked sideways by the palpable weight and volume in the mouth, which is almost “bulbous,” with layer upon layer of heavily botrytized fruit. It builds to a spicy finish with hints of marzipan and pralines in the background that lend it an untrammeled sense of exoticism. The 2009 is utterly fabulous and decadent, a star that will blaze brightly and undimmed for many years. Drink now-2060+. Tasted March 2014.
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