.. and then the day came!

.. when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom ..

.. Château d’Yquem was founded in 1593. And here we are 433 years later and still enjoying one of the World’s greatest sweet wines, if not the greatest! Why some people think that the wines from Yquem are expensive is beyond me. Have a look here at our little mixed offering, 2005 – 2010, and also a totally historic bottle from the 1946 vintage. Happy 80th Birthday!

2005
The 2005 Yquem is limpid golden in hue. The bouquet is gorgeous, finely-tuned and precise with clear honey, vanilla pod and saffron, less of the almond that I have noticed previously. The palate is built around its exquisite poise, the acidity keeping this Yquem on its tip-toes. As I have noted before, it appears to be gaining in concentration and viscosity with age, lovely fig and tangerine notes combining with a slight nuttiness on the finish. 96/100 @ £295bt

2006
The last time I tasted the 2006 Yquem was at the tail end of the pandemic. This bottle has a cohesive bouquet with lanolin, saffron and dried honey scents – not as flattering as the newborn 2023 tasted alongside, but certainly more appealing than the 1996. The palate delivers moderate complexity and a fine thread of acidity, quite viscous as you would hope with stem ginger and quince developing on the finish. There is something just a tad Germanic about this ’06, and I do not mean that negatively. Tasted at L’Abeille restaurant in New York from an ex-château bottle and then from magnum at the Académie du Vin dinner in Bordeaux. 94/100 @ £295bt

2007
Pale gold. Knockout nose of mirabelle, pineapple, spices and honey. Dense and thick but with racy acidity leavening the wine’s liqueur-like flavors of peach, apricot and pineapple and imbuing it with superb energy. With aeration, this showed captivating notes of vanilla, toast and fresh and exotic herbs, plus a saline aspect on the very long finish. Still an infant, but already boasts terrific cut and purity of fruit. Director Pierre Lurton was thrilled to have a large quantity of wine at this high level of quality. 96+/100 @ £300bt

2008
Bright light gold. Ripe cling peach, fresh apricot, spices, coconut, minerals and white flowers on the nose, with a note of vanillin oak emerging with air; subdued but wonderfully pure and precise. At once thick and light on its feet, showing an utterly seamless texture and compelling sweetness but also lovely inner-mouth tension thanks to its suave acidity and underlying minerality. The new oak element is in harmony with the wine’s fruit already. Really dusts the palate on the back end and builds inexorably. The explosive finish leaves behind a perfumed spice character. 95/100 @ £275bt

2009
The 2009 Yquem is a vintage that I have awarded perfect scores to in the past however, neither bottles merit that on this occasion. The first bottle feels scalped, so much so that a second bottle is checked. This has a very refined and sophisticated bouquet with wild honey, brioche, vanilla pod and light orange blossom aromas, beautifully refined. The palate is very well defined with fine acidity, very elegant in style with pure botrytised fruit and superb acidity on the finish. 97/100 @ £310bt

2010
Deep yellow with a golden tinge. Intense aromas of very ripe tropical fruit, beeswax, honey and raisin are lifted by a strong mineral edge. Very fresh, rich and sweet on entry, then extremely light on its feet, with refined flavors of ripe citrus, mango, papaya, honey and saffron complicated by tangy botrytis. A very bright and focused Yquem, with lively acidity and a long, smooth, floral finish. Boasts impeccable balance and lovely precision. This terrific Yquem is very stylish but less massively opulent than vintages like 1989 and 1983. 96+/100 @ £295bt

A note of huge thanks to NM, RO and AG for these tasting notes.

1946
Dark straw yellow, light, spicy nose. The mouth is fresh. Well made, melting, fat, elegant and clean. It clearly ranks amongst the greats. Harvested on 9th October 1946. 95/100 @ £3.100bt

N.B.
Gras (fat) should be understood to mean ”full, round supple, ripe … ” A fat Yquem will present heavy, lazy tears or legs”.

N.B.B.
The prices shown are per bottle in GBP, from our stock lying ex London City Bond VT, ex taxes & shipping.

”Summers from a distant past are aflame in bottles of Yquem” Francois Mauriac

William@worldwineconsultants.com